Drought conditions intensified over the western portions of Deep South Texas by April 15 and continued through the end of April. Drought conditions over Zapata, Jim Hogg, northern Starr and western Brooks counties intensified to exceptional (D4) exceptional by the middle of April.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.
Drought conditions intensified over the western portions of Deep South Texas by April 15 and continued through the end of April. Drought conditions over Zapata, Jim Hogg, northern Starr and western Brooks counties intensified to exceptional (D4) exceptional by the middle of April. Extreme D3 drought conditions developed or continued for most other areas except close to the coast. Evaporation rates increased to one half an inch per day. Agricultural interests continued to heavily irrigate citrus, corn, onion, and other crops; sorghum production remained halted. Additional feed was brought in for area cattle.
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 Apr 14, 6:15 PM CST, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 715 PM CDT MON APR 14 2008 .DISCUSSION...A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE EXTENDING INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY CONTINUED PRODUCING MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES, DRY CONDITIONS, SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND LIGHT TO MODERATE NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS ACROSS THE CWA TODAY. MODERATE AND GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PREVAIL OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS OCCURRING OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST AND EAST ON FRIDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE CWA. THE WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTHEASTERLY BY SATURDAY REMAINING LIGHT TO MODERATE THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR OVER THE CWA ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PREVAILING OVER THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE LOOKS GOOD THEREFORE NO CHANGES ARE ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. && .MARINE...CURRENT WINDS OVER THE ADJ GULF WATERS OF DEEP S TX ARE NE AT 10 TO 15 KTS WITH SEAS OF 4 FEET. HIGH PRESSURE OVER EAST TEXAS EXTENDING INTO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL PROVIDE A NORTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS OVERNIGHT. THIS SURFACE RIDGE WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST TUESDAY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY...WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING FROM NORTHEAST MEXICO THROUGH WEST TEXAS WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE WEDNESDAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS ACROSS THE LOWER TEXAS COAST. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. && .AVIATION...VFR VIRTUALLY CLEAR THROUGH THE NEXT 24H WITH LATE TONIGHT WITH SE FLOW AT 15 TO 20 MPH BY LATE TUESDAY PM. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE SYNOPTIC/GRIDS....63 MARINE/AVIATION...58 MESOSCALE...MARTINEZ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 400 PM CDT MON APR 14 2008 GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-151015- LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE TO THE ARROYO COLORADO- LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE ARROYO COLORADO TO 5 NM NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD TX- LAGUNA MADRE FROM 5 NM NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD TO BAFFIN BAY TX- COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO THE RIO GRANDE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO THE RIO GRANDE EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT MANSFIELD EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 400 PM CDT MON APR 14 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...REMAINDER OF TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHWEST TEXAS AND HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES WILL INCREASE THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THIS WILL LIKELY INCREASE THE RISK OF WILDFIRES...IN COMBINATION WITH THE CURED FUELS ACROSS THE AREA...TO DEVELOP. IN ADDITION...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS WINDS AND SEAS INCREASE WITH THE TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE LOWER TEXAS COAST. THIS WILL LIKELY PROVIDE A MODERATE OF RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG COASTAL BEACHES AS WELL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. PHILO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Exceptional (D4) drought conditions developed over Zapata County by the middle of April and continued through the end of the month, as persistent winds, increasing sun angle, and lack of rainfall brought the highest level of drought into the Rio Grande Plains and middle Rio Grande Valley.
Exceptional (D4) drought conditions developed in Jim Hogg County by the middle of April and continued through the end of the month, as persistent winds, increasing sun angle, and lack of rainfall brought the highest level of drought into the Rio Grande Plains.
Exceptional (D4) drought conditions developed in northern Starr County by the middle of April and continued through the end of the month, as persistent winds, increasing sun angle, and lack of rainfall brought the highest level of drought into the Rio Grande Plains and middle Rio Grande Valley.
Exceptional (D4) drought conditions developed across western Brooks County by the middle of April and continued through the end of the month, as persistent winds, increasing sun angle, and lack of rainfall brought the highest level of drought from the Rio Grande Plains farther east into Deep South Texas.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions expanded into eastern Brooks County by the middle of April, and remained through the end of the month. Locally heavy rains in the county's midsection on April 27th helped ease conditions a bit, but only enough to hold the drought at D3.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed over extreme western Cameron County, which includes some water sensitive crops, by the middle of April, continuing through the end of the month. Some welcome rains on the 27th and 28th helped keep the extreme conditions from expanding farther east.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed over extreme western Willacy County, by the middle of April, continuing through the end of the month. Some welcome rains on the 27th and 28th helped keep the extreme conditions from expanding farther east.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2008
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: 96395, 96396, 96399, 96402, 96403, 96416, 96428.