NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY
AUGUST 2001
5th-11th…The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry brought heavy rains to parts of Alabama, western Florida and southwestern Georgia today. The storm is moving to the northwest and will continue to bring locally heavy rainfall to Alabama, Mississippi, northwestern Florida and westward into Alabama tonight into Tuesday, resulting in localized flooding.
Scattered showers and storms were reported across the Great Lakes and through the Mississippi Valley on Thursday. An estimated four inches of rain fell in Rhea county, TN, prompting a flash flood warning.
Thunderstorms and showers were scattered from the Southwest to the East Coast on Saturday, with locally heavy rainfall in the mid Atlantic and lower Ohio Valley states and in parts of the South. Much of the stormy weather developed along a cold front that extended from the Texas Panhandle to southern New Jersey and had given the Northeast relief from a heat wave. Slow-moving storms over eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey poured up to 3 inches of rain on some areas, accompanied by high wind and lightning. Showers extended eastward over southern New England. Storms also stretched southward across Maryland and Delaware into Virginia, the eastern edge of West Virginia and western North Carolina. Farther west, rain developed across southern Illinois, western Kentucky, western Tennessee and southern Missouri. Up to 2 inches of rain fell during the day in parts of southern Illinois and western Kentucky. In the South, thunderstorms formed along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and spread inland during the afternoon across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, northern Florida and southern Georgia. Locally heavy rain fell in parts of Mississippi. And it was the second day of heavy rain in parts of Alabama, where the town of Arab reported almost a foot of rain on Friday. Flash flooding in Alabama on Friday caused scattered damage and blocked some roads. Thunderstorms also spread across southern Florida.
19th-24th…Up to three inches of rain fell in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky on Friday as showers stretched across several areas from the Carolinas to the lower Ohio Valley. Two other storm systems extended out of southwest Missouri into Oklahoma, bringing severe thunderstorms, hail and lightning to parts of the state.
26th-31st…More than 3 inches of rain fell in Louisiana Monday. Showers and occasional thunderstorms edged east along the central Gulf Coast and the southern coastline of Florida. Sowers were also scattered in Tennessee, the lower Mississippi Valley and central Texas. Some of the heaviest storms fell along the Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts, with more than 3 inches in northwest Louisiana and 2 inches in Texas.
Steady rain spread across parts of Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday, and scattered afternoon storms developed from the Southwest to the East Coast. Moist air flowing northward out of the Gulf of Mexico fueled the steady rainfall over eastern Texas and the southern half of Louisiana, with locally heavy rain along the coastlines of the two states. It was the second day of rain for parts of Texas, with more than 8 inches falling in the San Angelo area on Tuesday. Flash flood watches were posted for parts of the state. During the afternoon, scattered thunderstorms emerged in parts of northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and eastern North Carolina. Farther north, a line of scattered storms developed during the afternoon from northern Arkansas and southern Missouri across Kentucky into West Virginia and northern Virginia. Afternoon heating also helped produce isolated showers and thunderstorms in parts of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. Parts of Texas were under flash flood watches Wednesday as more rain fell on top of downpours that caused flooding the previous day. The watches included the Houston area, where flooding in June caused by Tropical Storm Allison led to 22 deaths and caused $5 billion in damage. As much as 8 inches of rain fell Tuesday around parts of the San Angelo area, flooding some homes and highways in the West Texas region. More than 8 inches of rain fell near Christoval in Tom Green County.
Heavy downpours continued to drench eastern Texas on Friday, while stormy
weather hit the Midwest and Northeast. The flooding was concentrated near the Guadalupe River. Many roads were closed because of high water, and some schools were closed for the day. Since midnight, Houston had recorded 4½ inches of rainfall. For the week, some areas recorded more than 11 inches. The system sent heavy rain north and east into Arkansas and Tennessee. Lighter rain fell in the Carolinas. A strong cold front pushed storms into the Midwest and Northeast. Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania reported heavy rain, high winds, hail and lightning. Scattered showers with some severe weather drifted into New York and New England.