The San Antonio River floods on this day in 1921, killing 51
people and causing millions of dollars in damages. The flood was
caused by some of the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Texas.
The San Antonio River winds through southwest Texas, an area
that is generally dry. However, on September 7, a storm stalled
over the town of Taylor and dumped an astounding 23.11 inches of
rain on the area in less than a day. It was the heaviest single
day of rainfall in the state to that time. The immense amount of
rain quickly overwhelmed the river. Taylor is located 30 miles
upstream from San Antonio, so the resulting flash flood went
barreling toward the city. Most of the victims were trapped in
their cars by the surprise flood and drowned. Five to 10 feet of
water submerged the city's streets, delaying an evacuation. The
city was under water for nearly a week following the flood. The
flood was responsible for at least $5 million in damages in the
then-small city. In the aftermath, San Antonio embarked on a
10-year ov