HOUSTON – "July stand by" is the second line of an old mariner's poem which probably was meant to give folks a heads up that the peak of hurricane season was just around the corner. July is still part of the so-called "quiet" time in the Atlantic with essentially the same amount of activity as we see in June. However, as was the case in June, a significant number of July events impact the Gulf of Mexico.
The map shows the tracks of storms whose centers passed within 100 miles of Galveston. We see almost the same number of storms as we do in August. Biggest difference is the number of stronger hurricanes in August. Also, as was the case for June, most of our July landfalls were from storms that originated in the Gulf of Mexico, which means we do not get a long lead time before they make landfall.
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One of the more noteworthy July storms in our history was Tropical Storm Claudette, 1979. Claudette made landfall near Beaumont with maximum wind speeds of 40 mph, barely a tropical storm. After landfall the storm stalled then drifted slowing northwest over southeast Texas. The extreme rainfall and resultant flooding that ensued was what made Claudette an historical event.
From July 25 through the early morning of July 26th, 43 inches of rain fell on Alvin, which still stands as the North American record for rainfall in a 24 hour period. Much of Brazoria, northern Galveston, and southeast Harris counties received in excess of 20 inches of rain. Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou watersheds severely flooded impacting thousands of homes.