What makes hurricanes here different
Texas hurricane risk is shaped by geography in ways that differ meaningfully from Florida.
- Inland flooding is the defining risk in Texas, not wind or surge alone. The Houston area in particular sits on flat clay soil that doesn't drain well — rainfall rates from slow-moving storms (Harvey dropped over 60 inches in parts of Southeast Texas in 2017) can cause catastrophic flooding far from the coast.
- Storm surge on the Gulf Coast can be severe, particularly around Galveston and Corpus Christi, where the bathymetry allows surge to push deep inland through low-lying areas.
- The Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi area) and the Valley (Rio Grande Valley) face different threats — the Bend is more exposed to direct landfalls; the Valley faces the remnants of Gulf storms and tropical moisture.
- Urban flooding in Houston occurs without hurricanes — the addition of tropical rainfall can push the city's drainage system past any designed capacity.
- Tornadoes are a common side effect of landfalling Gulf storms across the Texas coast and interior.
Regional supply additions for Texas
Texas heat, the possibility of days-long power outages in August, and the inland flooding risk add a few items to the standard kit.
- Flood-specific footwear: rubber boots — floodwater contains sewage, chemicals, and debris; bare feet and running shoes are not appropriate
- Extra water for heat — sustained heat above 100°F during outages significantly increases water needs
- N95 respirators — mold exposure after flooding is a real health risk; standard cloth masks don't filter mold
- A battery-powered fan — power outages in Texas summer are heat emergencies
- Waterproof bags or dry sacks for kit contents — flooding means everything can get wet
Official sources to bookmark now
The organizations below are the authoritative sources for evacuation orders, shelter locations, and storm-specific guidance. Bookmark these before the season — not when a storm is approaching, when traffic on these sites is enormous.
- Texas Division of Emergency Management — official state emergency management
- National Hurricane Center — track forecasts and warnings
- TxDOT Road Conditions — real-time road conditions during events
- Texas 211 — local assistance resources
- Harris County Emergency Management (Houston area) — Houston metro's county emergency management
- Your county emergency management office — search "[your county] Texas emergency management" for local evacuation orders and shelters
- FEMA / ready.gov — federal preparedness resources
Evacuation routes and shelter locations change with each event. Always confirm with your local emergency management office.
Historical context
Texas has a long recorded history of Gulf Coast hurricanes, from the 1900 Galveston hurricane — which killed an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people and remains the deadliest natural disaster in US history — to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which demonstrated that inland rainfall flooding can be as catastrophic as surge for a densely populated inland metro.
Texas emergency management systems have been substantially built and rebuilt around the lessons of each event. The Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network, the National Weather Service offices at Houston, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville, and county-level emergency management offices across the coast have maintained and updated plans based on that history.
Weather intelligence
Live Texas wind gusts
A fast live view for checking where stronger gusts are organizing along the Texas coast. Use it as context, then verify warnings and local instructions with the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the National Hurricane Center.
Source: Ventusky. For official warnings, use the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the National Hurricane Center.