Climate of Beaumont, Texas
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[edit] Severe weather events
Several hurricanes have left their mark on Beaumont.
In 1957, Hurricane Audrey, a strong category 4 hurricane (borderline category 5 at times), came onshore straight up the Texas/Louisiana border, causing massive flooding and wind damage. 390 people lost their lives (other estimates show over 500), mostly in Louisiana due to drowning.
In 1961, Hurricane Carla, the largest storm in terms of size, affected the entire Texas coastline from Jefferson County to Brownsville. Carla caused millions of dollars in damage and still remains the strongest storm to strike the Texas coast. Beaumont suffered tornadoes and massive flooding due to poor drainage.
Beaumont lived without a hurricane landfall until June 26, 1986. On that day, Hurricane Bonnie roared through the region with maximum winds at 90 miles per hour[1] (gusts to 125 mph) creating a havoc on local roadways because of the massive amounts of rain dumped on the area. Some regions received upwards of 10-15 inches of rain, flooding homes and businesses. Many mobile home parks were destroyed, people were displaced, and some area businesses never recovered. Three people lost their lives in Bonnie.
The region had some hits and misses but none more so than in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew threatened the area. Beaumont was under a hurricane warning, and evacuation procedures took place. It was rough going for the evacuation, which became the largest peacetime evacuation in the United States since Hurricane Carla in 1961. Andrew missed the Beaumont area, but it was a scare that still haunts the area today.
More recently, Beaumonters dealt with Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Beaumont and the vicinity did not experience the damage and destruction that Houston got. Homes are still abandoned due to massive flooding that took place because of the non stop five-day rainfall.[citation needed] Total rainfall amounts associated with Allison reached the 20 inch mark in most towns and cities in Southeast Texas.
Hurricane Lili threatened the area in 2002 as a category 4 hurricane and prompted another "Andrew-style" evacuation. Though large, the evacuation went relatively smoothly and didn't mirror the 1992 evacuation. Lili veered north into central Louisiana and did not significantly affect the Beaumont region.
Hurricane Rita hit the city on September 24, 2005, leveling many buildings and leaving remaining residents without power. Virtually every building in the town was damaged, some even destroyed. Thousands of tall pine trees were toppled and hundreds of Beaumont's grand old oak trees were uprooted. Hurricane Rita hit Southeast Texas and veered into Eastern Louisiana as a strong Category 3 storm. Many residents of Jefferson County evacuated to northern counties only to find themselves swarmed by dozens of tornadoes that had been spawned by the storm. It was two weeks before residents were allowed to reenter the city. A curfew from dusk to dawn was imposed for a little more than one month.
Hurricane Rita is the largest and most damaging Hurricane to hit Beaumont to date. Causing more than $7 billion in insured damage, Rita was among the top ten costliest storms in United States history.
On May 29, 2006, a more typical rain event in Beaumont and surrounding areas received 10 to 15 inches of rain during the morning hours. Numerous homes were flooded, but no major flooding occurred. Several vehicles also became trapped in high water on some low-lying roads and highway underpasses.
