Tropical Storm Allison Formed Off the Texas Coast on June 5, 2001
A storm named in the Gulf on one June day shows why Baytown residents are asked to prepare for flooding before the rain starts.
Tropical Storm Allison formed on June 5, 2001, about 80 miles south-southeast of Galveston. The National Hurricane Center's first advisory put its winds at 60 mph and placed the Texas coast from Sargent to Morgan City, Louisiana, under a tropical storm warning. That stretch of coast includes Galveston Bay and Baytown.
The short version
- Tropical Storm Allison formed on June 5, 2001, about 80 miles south-southeast of Galveston.
- The first advisory listed winds of 60 mph and a tropical storm warning from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana.
- The National Weather Service says 22 people died from flash flooding in Harris County on June 8 and 9, 2001.
- Baytown is in Harris County, and part of the city reaches into Chambers County.
- Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the city keeps a preparedness page with evacuation maps.
What the first advisory said
The National Hurricane Center issued its first advisory on Allison at 2 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, June 5, 2001. It placed the new storm about 80 miles south-southeast of Galveston, with winds of 60 mph. A tropical storm warning covered the coast from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana.
The advisory did not name Baytown. The warning area did take in the whole upper Texas coast, though, so Galveston Bay and the towns around it were inside it.
The flooding that followed
The storm's worst harm in this area came from flooding. The National Weather Service office for Houston and Galveston counts 22 people who died from flash flooding in Harris County on June 8 and 9, 2001.
Baytown is in Harris County, and part of the city reaches into Chambers County. A rainfall total for Baytown showed up in some search summaries. We could not find it in the National Weather Service's storm data, so it is left out here.
What it means for you
Allison formed in the first week of June, days after hurricane season began. The season runs from June 1 to November 30. The City of Baytown's Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management ask residents to know their risk, gather supplies, make an evacuation plan and protect their property. The city's Emergency Preparedness page links an evacuation routes map, an evacuation zone map and a preparedness guide.
For Baytown's own storm and flood history, see hurricane season in Baytown, flood risk by the numbers and storm surge from 1900 to Harvey.
Sources
- National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Allison, Special Advisory 1 (June 5, 2001): https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2001/pub/al012001.public.001.html
- National Weather Service Houston/Galveston, storm data for June 2001: https://www.weather.gov/media/hgx/stormdata/jun01hgx.pdf
- City of Baytown, Emergency Preparedness: https://www.baytown.org/1096/Emergency-Preparedness
- Texas State Historical Association, Baytown (Harris and Chambers counties): https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/baytown-tx