On the evening of Friday, May 14, 2010, a line of heavy thunderstorms swept over the Houston–Galveston area.
The National Weather Service station covering Galveston County is based in League City. That station officially recorded 3.5 inches of rain for Galveston.
The RexRoss.com weather station at Pirate’s Beach, on Galveston’s west end, recorded substantially more severe weather: total rainfall that evening of 6.36 inches.
Even more interesting was the recorded rainfall rate. The chart below shows rates reaching about 17 inches per hour—an almost unbelievable downpour. When 1–2 inches per hour represents a strong downpour, it is difficult to imagine the 5–17 inch-per-hour rates experienced during the storm.
One might suspect an error in the weather station sensors. However, I was there and personally witnessed the event, and there appeared to be no hardware or software problems. In fact, I took our dog, Rosie, for a walk when the rainfall rate was about 8 inches per hour. I can assure you—it was a short walk!
