A frontal system moved across south central Texas triggering numerous thunderstorms.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 EWX wrote it up.
A frontal system moved across south central Texas triggering numerous thunderstorms.
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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 18, 2:38 PM CST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 338 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 .DISCUSSION... CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. A SECOND ROUND OF RAIN IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AS LINGERING MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND THE LOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE BEFORE MIDNIGHT...BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BE LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS. STRONG AND GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS AS TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENTS PERSIST. MUCH MILDER WEATHER IS IN STORE FOR THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND AS WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT DOMINATES. DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR RAIN ENTERS THE PICTURE ON SATURDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE REGION. THIS FRONT WILL HELP LOWER TEMPERATURES TO ABOUT 5 DEGREES BELOW LATE MARCH NORMALS THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. .FIRE WEATHER... WINDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL APPROACH RED FLAG CRITERIA ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR A FEW HOURS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. MUCH OF THE REST OF THE REGION RECEIVED WETTING RAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND BUT 20 FOOT WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 15 MPH DURING THIS TIME FRAME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AUSTIN CAMP MABRY 48 76 45 75 49 / 40 0 0 0 - AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTL AIRPORT 46 74 36 73 41 / 40 0 0 0 - DEL RIO INTL AIRPORT 46 77 47 75 49 / - 0 0 0 0 SAN ANTONIO INTL AIRPORT 48 75 42 73 46 / 20 0 0 0 0 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: ATASCOSA...BASTROP...BEXAR...BLANCO...BURNET...CALDWELL... COMAL...DE WITT...FAYETTE...GILLESPIE...GONZALES...GUADALUPE... HAYS...KARNES...KENDALL...LAVACA...LEE...LLANO...TRAVIS... WILLIAMSON...WILSON. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BANDERA...DIMMIT...EDWARDS...FRIO...KERR...KINNEY... MAVERICK...MEDINA...REAL...UVALDE...VAL VERDE...ZAVALA. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: DIMMIT...FRIO...KINNEY...MAVERICK...UVALDE...VAL VERDE... ZAVALA. && 25/08
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 345 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-191100- LLANO-BURNET-WILLIAMSON-VAL VERDE-EDWARDS-REAL-KERR-BANDERA- GILLESPIE-KENDALL-BLANCO-HAYS-TRAVIS-BASTROP-LEE-KINNEY-UVALDE- MEDINA-BEXAR-COMAL-GUADALUPE-CALDWELL-FAYETTE-MAVERICK-ZAVALA- FRIO-ATASCOSA-WILSON-KARNES-GONZALES-DE WITT-LAVACA-DIMMIT- 345 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 7 PM TODAY ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN GUSTY WINDS AND LOWER HUMIDITY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...RESULTING IN THE NEED FOR A WIND ADVISORY ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...AND A RED FLAG WARNING ALONG THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... WINDS AND HUMIDITIES COULD REACH NEAR CRITICAL LEVELS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WEDNESDAY. THESE CONDITIONS COULD BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THE SPREAD OF FIRES. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1054 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1215 AM HAIL COMSTOCK 29.68N 101.17W
03/18/2008 E1.75 INCH VAL VERDE TX PUBLIC
HAIL RANGED FROM PING-PONG BALL TO GOLF BALL SIZED.
RELAYED TO CO-OP OBSERVER FROM PUBLIC.
&&
BFSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 1124 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 TXZ184>187-203-204-181730- BANDERA-EDWARDS-KERR-MEDINA-REAL-UVALDE- 1124 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE OVER PARTS OF BANDERA... EDWARDS...KERR...MEDINA...REAL AND UVALDE COUNTIES... AT 1125 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTH OF UVALDE TO EAST OF ROCKSPINGS AND EXTENDING EAST TO THE WEST PART OF KERR AND BANDERA COUNTIES. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF EDWARDS... REAL...KERR...MEDINA...BANDERA...AND UVALDE COUNTIES FOR THE NEXT HOUR. FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN... SOME HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 1158 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 TXZ171-188-189-181800- GILLESPIE-KENDALL-LLANO- 1158 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE OVER PARTS OF KENDALL... GILLESPIE...AND LLANO COUNTIES... AT 1158 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEST OF BOERNE TO NEAR FREDERICKSBURG TO WEST OF LLANO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF LLANO...GILLESPIE...AND KENDALL COUNTIES FOR THE NEXT HOUR. FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...SOME HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
118 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0112 PM HAIL 5 E ANDICE 30.78N 97.77W
03/18/2008 E0.88 INCH WILLIAMSON TX TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PAYThe Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:03 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A house fire was caused by a lightning stirke in the 800 block of Huntington place in south Austin. There was minor roof damage.
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, March 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: 90202.