Texas, 2002

Drought in Texas, March 1 to 31, 2002

March 1 to 31, 2002 · NWS BRO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Due to lack of rainfall and water shortages, moderate to severe drought conditions continue to persist over Deep South Texas. Rainfall during the month of March averaged a quarter of an inch or less, and year to date departures from normal have already exceeded 3 inches at some locations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.

Due to lack of rainfall and water shortages, moderate to severe drought conditions continue to persist over Deep South Texas. Rainfall during the month of March averaged a quarter of an inch or less, and year to date departures from normal have already exceeded 3 inches at some locations. Some irrigation districts have been placed on alert for possible water shortages. This continues to be a serious long term concern for Deep South Texas.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 28, 7:05 PM CST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 7:05 PM CST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
705 PM CST THU FEB 28 2002

MSAS ANALYSIS OVR PAST 6 HOURS SHOWS LOWERING SFC PRESSURES OVR DEEP
S TX WITH NEARLY CLOSED CYCLONIC CIRCULATION APPROXIMATELY 200NM SW
OF POR AND INVERTED SFC TROF EXTENDING NORTH ALONG THE MEXICAN AND
LWR TEXAS COAST. BUOY020 HAS REPORTED STEADILY RISING WIND SPEEDS
AND WAVE HEIGHTS...AS THIS SFC LOW TIGHTENS THE GULF PGF. KBRO 88D
SHOWS SCT -SHRAS OVR AND APPROACHING DEEP S TX ATTM...WITH ALL MDLS
SHOWING A GOOD CHC FOR RAIN OVRNGT.

WL MAKE SKIES CLDY IN ZONES AND TWEEK TEMPS AND WNDS...AS WAA IN
FORCE OVRNGT. WL ISSUE SCA FOR OFFSHORE WATERS NOW...VIA AMD.

MARINE...SCA NEEDED NOW AS SFC LOW GENERATES E TO SE WNDS 20 TO 25
KTS WITH 7 FOOTERS. WILL BE BORDERLINE SCA CONDITIONS ON FRIDAY AND
EARLY SATURDAY...AS THE SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE.  STRONGEST WINDS
WILL BE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...AFTER THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH.

SYNOPTIC-MARINE-AVIATION...PHILO (58) / MESO...WATKINS

INTERNET ADDRESS...WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO

.BRO...SCA FOR GMZ150-155-170-175.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Brooks

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Brooks forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
27.032, -98.219 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cameron

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cameron forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
26.152, -97.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hidalgo

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Hidalgo forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
26.397, -98.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jim Hogg

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jim Hogg forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
27.043, -98.697 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kenedy

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kenedy forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Starr

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Starr forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
26.562, -98.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Willacy

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Willacy forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
26.477, -97.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Zapata

When
March 1, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Zapata forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5284518, 5284519, 5284520, 5284521, 5284522, 5284613, 5284614, 5284615.