Check the ATXfloods for road closures. NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio will alert you to flood warnings and evacuations. Also, local TV and radio stations often keep you posted during flooding conditions.
Yes, it is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas to drive around a barricade at a flooded road. This is the same as a DWI. If caught, you may be arrested, have your car impounded, spend up to 180 days in jail and/or be fined up to $2000. You may also be charged for the cost of your rescue.
ENS stands for Emergency Notification System. These areas have been identified by the City as being more likely to require evacuation due to flash flooding than other areas. The areas have been pre-entered into our emergency notification system to expedite automated phone calls in the event of an evacuation.
If a road is flooded, turn around and find an alternate route. Don’t risk drowning by trying to cross it. Most flood fatalities occur in vehicles.
The 100-year storm is an event that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. To put that in perspective, during the span of a 30-year mortgage, there is a 26% chance that a 100-year event will occur.
The amount of rainfall necessary to produce a 100-year storm is dependent both on the duration of the storm and what area it impacts. If the rain falls over the course of 3 hours, it takes over 7 inches for it to be classified as a 100-year rainfall. But if those same 7 inches fall over the course of 3 days, it would be considered a much smaller rainfall event. The standard 100-year design storm for the City of Austin has a duration of 24-hours and produces a total rainfall of over 12 inches. To learn more about rainfall return periods in Austin, see Section 2 of the Drainage Criteria Manual.
During a large storm, it is normal for the intensity to vary widely across the city. In September 2010, Tropical Storm Hermine produced rainfall totals approaching a 100-year storm over portions of the Bull Creek watershed. The flood events on October 30, 2015, and May 26, 2016, produced rainfall greater that 13 inches in eight hours in portions of the Onion Creek and Dry Creek East watersheds. However, other areas of Austin did not experience as severe a storm in these events. Keep in mind that even if a large storm has recently occurred, there is the same percent chance of an equally large storm occurring the following year.
In the right circumstances, almost any road can flood. The ones listed below are the ones that flood most frequently:
- W. 12th St. from Lamar to Shoal Creek Blvd.
- W. 32nd St. at Hemphill Park
- E. 38 1/2 St. between Grayson and Airport Blvd.
- Adelphi Ln. between Scribe Dr. and Waters Park Rd.
- E. Alpine Rd. between Willow Springs and Warehouse Row
- Burleson Rd. between U.S. 183 and FM 973
- Carson Creek Blvd. between Cool Shadow Dr. and Warrior Ln.
- Colton-Bluff Springs Rd. by Alum Rock Dr.
- Convict Hill Rd. between Flaming Oak Place and MoPAC
- David Moore Dr. north of Sweetwater River Dr.
- Delwau Ln. at Shelton Rd.
- W. Dittmar between Loganberry and S. Congress
- Joe Tanner Ln., near Hwy. 290
- Johnny Morris Rd. between FM 969 and Loyola Ln.
- Lakewood Dr., 6700 block
- W. Monroe St. between S. First and Roma St.
- McNeil Dr. between Camino and Burnet
- Nuckols Crossing at Teri Rd.
- Parkfield Dr. from Thornridge to Mearns Meadow
- Possum Trot between Inland Place and Quarry Rd.
- Old Bee Caves Road, near Hwy. 290
- Old San Antonio Rd. between FM 1626 and IH 35
- Old Spicewood Springs Road, between Loop 360 and Spicewood Springs Rd.
- O’Neal Ln., between MoPAC service road and Waters Park Rd.
- Posten Ln., 7900 block
- River Hills Rd., off Cuernavaca
- Rogge Ln. between Ridgemont and Delwood Dr.
- Rutland from Mearns Meadow to N. Lamar
- Spicewood Springs Road, between Loop 360 and Old Lampasas Trl.
- Springdale Rd. from Ferguson to Breeds Hill Dr.
- Wasson Rd. near S. Congress Ave.
- Waters Park Rd. between 183 and MoPAC
To find out if a road is flooded, check www.ATXfloods.com.