08-07-2025
Another calamity: The closest forerunner in San Angelo's history of floods was decades ago
The July Fourth floods in San Angelo will go down in the record books as the wettest day in the city's history. The only other days that came close were recorded nearly 100 years ago in 1936.
In mid-September of 1936, the city of San Angelo experienced downpours for multiple days, resulting in massive flooding from rainfall — an estimated 25.22 inches, according to Standard-Times archives.
The rain began Sept. 15 with 11.75 inches, the most recorded in a single day for San Angelo at that point.
Then the rainfall continued for another three days:
1.18 inches Sept. 16
4.64 inches Sept. 17
7.64 inches Sept. 18
More: Waking up to disaster: How San Angelo is weathering a flood. What happened and what now?
As a result, the North Concho River overflowed with water on Sept. 17, 1936, wiping away entire blocks of houses and flooding most of the downtown area. Some estimates reported that nearly 300 homes were washed away in the flood. Water levels were reported to reach 10 feet in the lobby of the Naylor Hotel.
In response, the city built two reservoirs: O.C. Fisher Dam and Lake on the north side of town inside the San Angelo State Park and Twin Buttes Reservoir in the south, mainly to control the water levels for both the north and south Concho rivers should the area see that much rainfall again.
According to the Standard-Times archives, the 1936 flood claimed two lives and left over 2,000 people homeless. It destroyed two of the three bridges in town, wreaking damage of over $5,000,000.
The July Fourth rainfall did not overflow the North Concho River as it did in 1936. But the reported 14 inches on Independence Day is the most recorded rainfall in a single day the city has seen since then.
More: What to know about getting help after the flood, making donations in San Angelo area
Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@ Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo July Fourth flooding draws similarities to 1936 disaster
