Analysis of the October 1998 Flood event along the Lower Guadalupe River

Between October 17-28,1998, torrential rains contributed to record flooding across several river basins in south and southeast Texas. Fifteen to approximately thirty inches of rain fell in the San Antonio area with extensive flash flooding observed in the San Antonio and Austin areas. After the rains ended, extensive flooding began in the San Antonio, Guadalupe, Lavaca, and Navidad River Basins. The flood wave moved downstream and affected the lower part of these basins. The flooding was especially severe along the lower Guadalupe River, which flows through the cities of Cuero and Victoria. This paper provides an overview of the flood episode including a hydrometeorological synopsis and actions taken during this event. As is the case with most record floods, several lessons were learned from this event and are discussed in this paper also.