Texas A&M Battled by Nature: The Effect of Summer Storms on the TAMU Campus

Article By: Shalina Sabih, Staff Writer | BCS Chronicle

What You Need To Know:

• Texas A&M University has experienced damage due to recent severe storms.

• Affected buildings include Blocker, Bolton Hall, the Mitchell Institute, the National Center for Therapeutics and Manufacturing, the Chemistry Building, and the Animal Industries Engineering (AIEN).

• Severe storms in Texas are driven by a mix of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, colder air in the upper atmosphere, and vertical wind shear.

• Students and staff are encouraged to use weather forecasting websites for accurate and timely weather updates.

Campus Flooding, Damage, and Ongoing Recovery Efforts

Over the past few weeks, Texas A&M’s students left the Bryan-College Station area in search of summer freedom. Their departure was followed by a series of torrential storms which swept through the area. As damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and the threat of hail swept in from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex toward the Southwest, A&M bore the brunt of the storm, with damage and some flooding affecting many buildings on campus.

The storms left their mark on the TAMU campus landscape, leaving tree branches and various debris scattered in their wake. Campus buildings such as John R. Blocker, Bolton Hall, the Mitchell Institute, the National Center for Therapeutics and Manufacturing, the Chemistry Building and the Animal Industries Engineering (AIEN) dealt with this aftermath as they prepared to welcome back students for summer classes. 

“Severe storms in Texas are driven by a combination of factors including warm moist air flowing from the Gulf of Mexico, colder air in the upper atmosphere, and change in wind speed and/or direction with height (called "vertical wind shear"),” said Associate Professor Chris Nowotarski.  “Often as waves in the jet stream move across the country, they can trigger areas of low pressure at the ground; and on the southeast side of these lows, severe weather is more common,” described Nowotarski.  

The Gulf of Mexico is a key geographical feature that influences Texas’ climate, moderating seasonal temperatures along the Gulf Coast and providing the major source of precipitation for most of the state.  This large body of water acts as a thermal reservoir, absorbing heat during the summer and releasing it during the winter, which helps to stabilize temperatures in coastal regions.

“For thunderstorms to occur, you need three basic ingredients,” said General Meteorologist, Dr. Erik Nielsen. “You need moisture (and) you need a situation where the atmosphere is cool, because a thunderstorm is effectively hot air rising on its own, and you also need something to give the air a kickstart upwards, whether that being a front, low-pressure system, or even the dryline in West Texas,” said Nielsen.

Buildings Affected on TAMU Campus

The grounds crews on campus worked diligently to clean up the areas affected by fallen tree branches and large piles of leaves. They also cleared out the overflowing drains, which had been clogged with accumulated debris blown in from the storms’ high winds.

In the Blocker building's largest lecture hall, water seeped from the ground, creating a pool that covered the front area and the stairs. The flooring showed signs of leaks, reflecting recent moisture infiltration. The once dry and firm carpet on the first floor was consistently wet, revealing the severity of the problem.

AIEN had a similar issue with their largest lecture hall, which had moisture stains on the carpet. Meanwhile, Mitchell Physics experienced rainwater flooding affecting the entire first floor. In response, both buildings deployed industrial fans to speed up the drying process in their classrooms. Over time, maintenance teams have regularly utilized industrial sweepers and mop vacuums to thoroughly clean and restore these affected areas. 

In contrast, the bottom portion of the white walls in the Bolton basement where student classrooms and some faculty offices are housed, have now been removed. The lower walls of the building experienced flooding and had to be removed for repairs. 

“I walked into the basement and it was a crazy scene because there were all these humidifiers every 10 feet,” said Associate Professor of the Practice, Dr. Joey Lopez. This damage affected both classrooms and offices, necessitating the relocation of most of the contents. Most professors had to relocate to other rooms after they received emails letting them know. 

Staying Weather Prepared

There are multiple ways to plan for severe weather. One of these ways is checking Weather.gov, which provides custom and accurate weather predictions based on a person's location.

“The most important thing is to be weather aware, and you have to have some kind of background of what is happening with the weather, because when it comes to the day of, you have to be ready,” said Nielsen.

The Weatherbug app also allows you to set alerts for multiple locations and, more locally, the KBTX weather app is constantly keeping up with weather changes.

Nowotarski mentioned that for tornadoes and severe thunderstorm warnings, the best course of action is to move to an interior, windowless room on the lowest level of your home. It is best to be prepared in advance by doing things such as wearing a bike helmet and covering yourself with blankets, but Nowotarski emphasized that it is more important to make sure that you are in a safe location.

As the university continues to address the aftermath, efforts are underway to restore normalcy and ensure the safety of all students and staff.

Note: This article and its photos deal with the aftermath of the storms at the beginning of the summer and, as a result, the conditions may be improved as of the publication of this article.