Thunderstorms moved across portions of Zapata County, producing heavy rains and frequent lightning. The Doppler radar at Brownsville indicated rainfall rates of up to three inches per hour over portions of Zapata County.
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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.
Thunderstorms moved across portions of Zapata County, producing heavy rains and frequent lightning. The Doppler radar at Brownsville indicated rainfall rates of up to three inches per hour over portions of Zapata County.
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 Aug 17, 12:28 PM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 128 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .DISCUSSION...THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AT TIMES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA LOCATED ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS COMBINED WITH A WEAKENING STATIONARY FRONT LOCATED OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTH TEXAS INCREASES THE ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE LOCATED ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO WILL CONTINUE PRODUCING LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS OVER THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS THEN INCREASE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS FRIDAY AND OVER THE WEEKEND. && .MARINE...AT 12 NOON BUOY020 REPORTED EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AT 2 TO 4 KTS AND SEAS 3.3 FEET WITH A PERIOD OF 7 SECONDS. HIGH PRESSURE IN THE NORTHEAST GULF WILL KEEP WINDS LIGHT TO MODERATE FROM THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK. STREAMER SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE IN THE MORNING HOURS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...WHILE SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH TEMPO MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT TO MODERATE FROM THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH MONDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 79 88 78 88 78 / 30 40 40 40 30 BROWNSVILLE 78 89 77 90 77 / 30 40 40 40 30 HARLINGEN 77 89 76 90 76 / 30 40 40 40 30 MCALLEN 77 91 77 91 77 / 30 40 40 40 30 RIO GRANDE CITY 77 94 77 94 77 / 30 40 40 40 30 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 80 85 79 85 79 / 30 40 40 40 30 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE SYNOPTIC/GRIDS....63 MARINE/AVIATION...65 MESOSCALE.......HART
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 539 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-181045- 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- 539 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...WITH SOME AREAS RECEIVING BRIEFLY HEAVY RAINFALL. LOCALIZED AREAS OF STREET FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MORE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...WITH SPOTTY AREAS OF LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 321 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 TXZ249-250-172230- JIM HOGG-BROOKS- 321 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT BROOKS AND JIM HOGG COUNTIES FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS... MERGING THUNDERSTORMS WILL STRENGTHEN AND AFFECT RURAL BROOKS COUNTY AND RURAL EASTERN JIM HOGG COUNTY...UNTIL 530 PM CDT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY REACH HEBBRONVILLE IN THE NEXT HOUR. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL OCCUR...WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. MOTORISTS CAN EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. 54/BM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 452 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 TXZ248-249-252-180000- JIM HOGG-ZAPATA-STARR- 452 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 ...TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL AFFECT ZAPATA COUNTY AND ALSO PORTIONS OF JIM HOGG AND STARR COUNTIES... A CLUSTER OF SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT ZAPATA...JIM HOGG AND STARR COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CDT. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. AN ADDITIONAL TWO OR THREE INCHES OF RAIN MAY FALL IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN ZAPATA COUNTY. && WHEN DRIVING THROUGH HEAVY RAIN...SLOW DOWN. ALWAYS LEAVE A SAFE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND OTHER VEHICLES. WHEN USING WIPERS...TURN ON HEADLIGHTS. AVOID DRIVING THROUGH PUDDLES THAT COULD HIDE POTHOLES OR CAUSE HYDROPLANING. MAKE SURE YOUR HEADLAMPS...TIRES...AND WIPERS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION. KEEP AN EMERGENCY KIT WHICH INCLUDES A FLASHLIGHT...FLARES...AND SIMPLE HAND TOOLS. SEVEN THOUSAND PEOPLE DIE IN WEATHER RELATED AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS EACH YEAR... MANY DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY AND WET ROADS. REMEMBER: VISIBILITY AND TRACTION LEAVE TIME FOR REACTION 54/BM
The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 168 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:17 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Zapata County Sheriff’s Department received a report of lightning striking a salt water storage tank near Escoba. The storage tank exploded and started a grass fire.
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, August 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: 131760.