At a Glance

Imelda dumped prolific rainfall over parts of eastern Texas in September 2019.More than 40 inches fell in some spots.This triggered major flash flooding in southeast Texas.Some of the same areas that were hit hard by Harvey in 2017 experienced major flooding from Imelda.

Tropical Storm Imelda dumped prolific amounts of rain across parts of southeastern Texas in September 2019, leading to catastrophic flooding and prompting evacuations.

More than two feet of rain drenched southeast Texas, including a few spots that saw more than 40 inches. The heaviest rain fell in a short amount time Sept. 18-19, 2019.

(MORE: How Imelda's Rainfall Compares to Harvey)

Greens Bayou at US 59 measured midday Sept. 19. Conroe, Texas, measured in an hour earlier that same morning.

In Jefferson County, Texas, some areas just south of the city of Beaumont picked up over 20 inches of rain in just 12 hours.

Imelda dropped enough rain in one day at Houston's Intercontinental Airport (9.21 inches on Sept. 19) to set the city's record for its wettest calendar day in September.

Floodwaters surrounded Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport on the afternoon of Sept. 19, making terminals inaccessible. .

Imelda's Highest Rainfall Totals

The highest rainfall total from Imelda was 43.39 inches southwest of Beaumont in at North Fork Taylors Bayou.

Imelda Rainfall Recap

Below are some additional rainfall totals from southeast Texas.

-42.76 inches at Mayhaw Bayou and Brush Island Road

-33.58 inches near Hamshire

-29.68 inches at the East Fork of the San Jacinto River

-20.85 inches at Beaumont/Port Arthur Regional Airport

-19.90 inches in Humble

-11.68 inches at Houston's Intercontinental Airport

Imelda's History

Imelda formed from an area of disturbed weather the National Hurricane Center tracked for a few days as it moved westward through the Gulf of Mexico.

The disturbance developed an organized area of low pressure near the coast of Texas on Sept. 17 and was designated Tropical Depression Eleven by the National Hurricane Center at 12 p.m. CDT. Roughly 45 minutes later, the system was upgraded to Tropical Storm Imelda and made landfall 15 minutes later at 1 p.m. CDT.

Imelda then meandered through southeast Texas where brought torrential rainfall.