The United States Drought Monitor noted that extreme drought conditions arrived in Zapata, Jim Hogg, and Starr Counties around the second week of April. Severe drought conditions developed farther east to the Deep South Texas coast.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
The United States Drought Monitor noted that extreme drought conditions arrived in Zapata, Jim Hogg, and Starr Counties around the second week of April. Severe drought conditions developed farther east to the Deep South Texas coast. Virtually no rainfall, increasing sun angle, and gusty winds allowed conditions to worsen. Agricultural interests were doing their best to stay ahead of the dry, but warming, conditions; additional feed was brought in for the large cattle population, while sorghum production was halted. Heavy irrigation allowed other crops to maintain spring growth rates.
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 7, 7:29 PM CST, 4 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 829 PM CDT MON APR 7 2008 .DISCUSSION... CLOUD COVER ALREADY LOWERING ALONG THE COAST AND MOVING INLAND THIS EVENING. VIS WILL FALL A LITTLE LATE OVERNIGHT AS TEMP LOWERS AND MORE MOISTURE MOVES IN FROM THE GULF. WILL ISSUE UPDATE SHORTLY. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THIS EVENING AND BECOME MVFR CIGS DUE TO STRATUS AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ONCE AGAIN OVER THE REGIONAL AIRPORTS BY LATE MORNING. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST TONIGHT BECOMING MODERATE BY LATE MORNING ON TUESDAY. && .MARINE... BOY020 REPORTED WINDS FROM THE EAST AT 12 TO 14 KNOTS WITH SEAS 3 FEET AT 7 SECONDS. WINDS SHOULD INCREASE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS ON TUESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WEDNESDAY AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH SLIGHTLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AS A SURFACE TROUGH MOVES INTO DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS FORECASTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE COASTAL WATERS FRIDAY. WINDS SHOULD SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND INCREASE IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY NIGHT AS A RESULT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 210 PM CDT MON APR 7 2008/ DISCUSSION...CHALLENGES THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE THE RETURN OF WIND FOR WEDNESDAY AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...HOT TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND THE TIMING OF A COLD FRONT EXPECTED THROUGH THE REGION LATER FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. SYNOPTIC PATTERN AND PROGNOSIS CHARTS INDICATE A LARGE SCALE UPPER TROUGH TO DEEPEN ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOUTHEAST WINDS TO STEADILY INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 60 HOURS. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE MUCH OF THE CWA TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH WINDY CONDITIONS LIKELY WEDNESDAY. DO NOT ANTICIPATE WIND ADVISORY CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME BUT THE POSSIBILITY RESIDES ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES ON WEDNESDAY WHERE THE TIGHTEST GRADIENT SETS UP. LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS WEDNESDAY EVENING AND CRANKS UP OVERNIGHT PEAKING 12Z THURSDAY. THIS WILL MAINTAIN BREEZY TO STRONG WINDS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL INCHING UPWARD TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. MORE NOTICEABLE EARLY ON WILL BE THE OVERNIGHT LOWS. AS THE SOUTHEAST WINDS INCREASE AND COMBINE WITH HIGHER DEW POINT VALUES MINIMUMS BY THURSDAY MORNING COULD BE 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AS MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATING MID TO UPPER 70S ALONG THE COAST. THE LATER HALF OF THE WEEK WILL CONSIST OF VERY HOT TEMPERATURES SOME DRIER AIR SPREADING WEST TO EAST AND A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FRIDAY SETTING UP A VERY NICE WEEKEND. THE UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES TO DEEPEN THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AS IT MOVES EAST OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND EAST COAST. A LARGE SCALE RIDGE WILL SET UP SHOP OVER THE ROCKIES LEAVING TEXAS AS WELL AS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS UNDER AND LIGHT TO MODERATE NORTH TO NORTHWEST FLOW. IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT...HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE TO CLIMB 10 TO 15 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL THURSDAY. 850H TEMPS BETWEEN 22 AND 25C AND SOME DRIER AIR MIXING TO THE SURFACE SHOULD PRODUCE MID 90S JUST WEST OF THE COAST TO THE LOWER 100S IN STARR AND ZAPATA COUNTIES. TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT IS STILL UNCERTAIN BUT AN INITIAL PASSAGE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE CWA IS EXPECTED FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND OFF THE COAST FRIDAY EVENING. AN UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE THEN PASSES EARLY SATURDAY WITH A MORE SUBSTANTIAL NORTH WIND SPREADING INTO THE VALLEY AND OFFSHORE. TEMPERATURE FORECAST IS DIFFICULT FOR FRIDAY BUT HAVE SHOWN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN TEMPS. ANY DELAY IN THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE COULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO BE SIMILAR TO THURSDAY. DECIDED TO TAKE OUT POPS THAT WERE ADDED IN YESTERDAY. MOISTURE CHARTS SHOW ONLY LIMITED MOISTURE AND VERY LITTLE LIFT WITH THE FRONT. MUCH OF THE ENERGY OF THE UPPER TROUGH TO REMAIN NORTH AND EAST OF THE DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. THERE IS SOME CHANCE OF MOISTURE POOLING ALONG THE FRONT FRIDAY AND EARLY SATURDAY IF THE FRONT SLOWS ITS SOUTHEASTWARD PROGRESS. COOL AND DRY SURFACE HIGH AND A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW TO BECOME ENTRENCHED OVER TEXAS AND OUR CWA SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL MAKE FOR AN EXCELLENT WEEKEND. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE 64/65
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 450 AM CDT MON APR 7 2008 TXZ248>257-081100- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 450 AM CDT MON APR 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NECESSARY OVER THE LAGUNA MADRE ON WEDNESDAY AND OVER THE OFFSHORE GULF COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE WINDS AND SEAS AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES INCREASING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE MARINE AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MARTIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed in Zapata County by the second week of April, with the drought gradually worsening by the middle of the month.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed in Jim Hogg County by the second week of April, with the drought gradually worsening by the middle of the month.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed in Starr County by the second week of April, with the drought gradually worsening by the middle of the month.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed in western Hidalgo County by the second week of April, with conditions continuing, and worsening slightly, through the end of the month and into May.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions developed in western Brooks County by the second week of April, with the drought worsening by the middle of the month as very dry weather prevailed with virtually no rainfall.
Severe (D2) drought conditions expanded into Kenedy County, TX, during the second week of April, and continued through the remainder of the month. Unlike locations much farther inland in Deep South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, a bit more humidity, followed by locally heavy rainfall during the last full weekend of the month, held conditions at severe levels until the 30th.
Severe (D2) drought conditions expanded into Willacy County, TX, during the second week of April, and continued through the remainder of the month. Unlike locations much farther inland in Deep South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, a bit more humidity, followed by locally heavy rainfall during the last full weekend of the month, held conditions at severe levels until the 30th.
Severe (D2) drought conditions expanded into Cameron County, TX, during the second week of April, and continued through the remainder of the month. Unlike locations much farther inland in Deep South Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, a bit more humidity, followed by locally heavy rainfall during the last full weekend of the month, held conditions at severe levels until the 30th.
Severe (D2) drought conditions developed over eastern Brooks County, TX, by April 8th, and continued through the middle of the month, before worsening further.
Severe (D2) drought conditions developed over eastern hidalgo County, TX, by the second week of April, and would further worsen by the middle of the month.
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: 96372, 96374, 96376, 96377, 96378, 96379, 96380, 96381, 96382, 96383.