On April 18th there were flash floods and severe thunderstorms over Galveston and southern Harris counties.

Thunderstorm Wind in WHARTON, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 11:25:00 to 18-APR-09 11:25:00 (CST-6)
Location: EL CAMPO ARPT
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 2.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Trees and power lines were blown down near the community of New Taiton.

Thunderstorm Wind in GALVESTON, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 14:12:00 to 18-APR-09 14:12:00 (CST-6)
Location: CLEAR LAKE SHORES
Magnitude: 55.00 EG
Property damage: 3.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Large trees were downed in the Clear Lake Forest subdivision.

Flash Flood in FORT BEND, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 13:00:00 to 18-APR-09 15:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: ARCOLA
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Roads were flooded in and around Missouri City due to heavy rainfall. The intersections of Highway 6 and Ft. Bend Parkway and Highway 6 and Olympian Parkway were both closed due to high water.

Tornado in GALVESTON, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 15:00:00 to 18-APR-09 15:10:00 (CST-6)
Location: HIGHLAND BAYOU
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

The tornado touched down in a marshy area a few miles south southeast of Hitchcock as reported by several witnesses and captured on video. The damage path extended into the Harborwalk community with damage to several homes. Six garage doors were damaged or destroyed. A large wood and steel observing platform was destroyed. There was also some damage to shingles. The tornado was estimated to be a high end EF-0 with winds reaching 80 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind in HARRIS, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 14:30:00 to 18-APR-09 14:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: JOYCE
Magnitude: 70.00 EG
Property damage: 30.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

Damage was sustained by homes in the Seabrook area. The brick facade on one wall of a house collapsed, and several large trees were uprooted pointing toward the south and southwest.

Flash Flood in GALVESTON, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 14:00:00 to 18-APR-09 16:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: LEAGUE CITY S S ARPT
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 4.00M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Heavy rainfall from thunderstorms moving across the county produced road closeures and widespread flooding of homes, with high water rescues being required in Dickinson. A rain gauge at FM 528 and Clear Creek in League City recorded a 1 hour rainfall total of 6.02 inches. League City reported 300 homes sustaining flood damage from this event.

Flash Flood in HARRIS, TEXAS
From 18-APR-09 11:02:00 to 18-APR-09 18:10:00 (CST-6)
Location: LOUETTA
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 3.50M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Heavy rainfall persisted across the county as several thunderstorms produced rainfall totals of 8 to 10 inches across the county. Numerous roads were closed in areas of the county, including Jersey Village, Houston Heights, La Porte, Pasadena, Webster, and near the Houston Hobby airport. More than 350 homes were flooded due to the heavy rains and flooding along bayous. In some areas residential streets were reported to have more than one foot of standing water. The highest one hour rainfall total was 6.90 inches recorded at Bay Area Blvd and Clear Creek. This exceeds the highest one hour rainfall rate measured during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, which was 6.30 inches.
In the northern part of the county five children were killed after the car they were riding in inadvertently drove into a drainage ditch that was filled with nine feet of water from the heavy rainfall. Two adults and one child were able to escape the floodwaters, but the five younger children, all under 7 years old, were not able to escape.