M. 339.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 CRP wrote it up.
The Ramirez Fire burned 3500 acres along F.M. 339. One home was threatened and three barns destroyed. Multiple local and state resources responded. The exact beginning and containment time were not known at the time of this writing.
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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 18, 11:11 AM CST, 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1211 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008
.UPDATE...THE UPPER LOW IS SITUATED OVER THE BIG BEND REGION THIS
MID-DAY. THE UPPER LOW WILL PUSH INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE LONE
STAR STATE THIS LATE AFTERNOON. THERE ARE SOME SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN RIO GRANDE PLAINS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE COLD POOL OF THE UPPER LOW. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS MAY
SKIM EXTREME NORTHERN LASALLE AND MCMULLEN COUNTIES. ASSOCIATED
COLD FRONT WITH THE UPPER SYSTEM HAS PUSHED EAST OF STATE HIGHWAY
16 WITH A THIN LINE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FROM
THREE RIVERS TO ALICE. THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
TRACK FROM WEST TO EAST AND PERHAPS INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND
MAYBE INTENSITY THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY WITH CAP
STARTING TO ERODE AND WITH INSTABILITY INCREASING FURTHER EAST OF
HIGHWAY 37. THE LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PUSH
OFFSHORE AFTER 2 PM.
A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL SET UP ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS AS THE
LOW PUSHES TO THE EAST AND AS A SURFACE HIGH SETTLES AROUND THE
BIG BEND REGION. AS A RESULT STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS
ARE ANTICIPATED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE REGION.
THE TIGHTEST PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TRANSLATE TO THE MARINE AREAS
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WHERE SUSTAINED GALE WINDS WILL BE QUITE
FEASIBLE. WILL GO AHEAD AND ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR AREAS WEST OF
HIGHWAY 281 FROM 1 PM TO 1 AM...PARTICULARLY WITH PRESSURE FALLS OF
5 MB WEST OF THE RIO GRANDE JUST RECENTLY. WILL EXTEND THE WIND ADVISORY
FOR AREAS EAST OF 281 FROM 6 PM TO 1 AM. OTHERWISE...CURRENT
FORECAST IS ON TRACK.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 307 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008/
SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...STRONG CONVECTION FIRING
UPSTREAM AT THIS HOUR...WITH MULTIPLE TORNADO WATCHES JUST NORTH
OF THE CWFA. CIRCULATIONS SUGGEST A SURFACE LOW JUST NORTH OF
KDRT...WITH ANOTHER MESOLOW NEAR KLRD...WHICH TO THIS POINT HAS
SEEN PRECIOUS LITTLE CONVECTION.
MODELS CONTINUE IN FAIR AGREEMENT TO BRING BEST CHANCES FOR
PRECIPITATION ALMOST DUE EASTWARD...KEEPING THE BRUNT OF IT NORTH OF
US. STILL EXPECT A LINE OR CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS TO PROPAGATE
EASTWARD...DROPPING THROUGH THE VICTORIA CROSSROADS AREA ON ITS WAY
TOWARD SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HAVE ORIENTED POPS AND QPF ACCORDINGLY.
DRY AIR TO MOVE IN FAIRLY QUICKLY OVER THE NORTHERN RIO GRANDE
PLAINS AFTER THE TROF PASSAGE...AND HAVE CONVERTED THE FIRE WEATHER
WATCH FOR THE FOUR WESTERN COUNTIES INTO A RED FLAG WARNING
EFFECTIVE THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE MARGINAL FOR A WARNING...BUT
WITH VERY DRY AIR AND ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS FIRE DANGER IS
HEIGHTENED CONSIDERABLY.
HAVE OPTED AGAINST RENEWING THE WIND ADVISORY TODAY. GRADIENT IS
FORECAST TO BE NOT QUITE AS TIGHT AS YESTERDAY...SO ALTHOUGH SOME
GUSTINESS IS LIKELY ESPECIALLY WEST...FEEL SUSTAINED WINDS WILL
REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA.
FORECAST PICTURE EASES CONSIDERABLY TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS DRY AIR
AND HIGH PRESSURE INHIBIT ANY CHANCE OF CONVECTION...AND DRY AIR
ALLOWS FOR EXPANDED DIURNAL RANGES...ESPECIALLY ON THE MAX SIDE
WHERE NUMERICAL GUIDANCE HAS BEEN MUCH TOO COOL RECENTLY.
MARINE...SCA CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON
BEFORE BEGINNING TO SLACKEN.
LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)...WINDS DIMINISH
WEDNESDAY EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA...LEADING
TO A COOL NIGHT WITH TEMPS IN THE 40S. THE SURFACE HIGH MOVES EAST
AND A WEAK TO MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW RESUMES THURSDAY. THE SYNOPTIC
FLOW REMAINS ZONAL THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WITH A GRADUAL
WARMING TREND ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH
THROUGH THE AREA ON SUNDAY. AT THIS TIME MOISTURE APPEARS RATHER
LIMITED...AND WILL LEAVE GHOST 10 POPS IN GRIDS AND EXCLUDE
MENTION OF PRECIP.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CORPUS CHRISTI 79 50 79 47 76 / 40 0 0 0 0
VICTORIA 78 48 76 41 73 / 60 10 0 0 0
LAREDO 90 52 85 49 85 / 10 0 0 0 0
ALICE 83 46 81 44 77 / 20 0 0 0 0
ROCKPORT 76 55 77 48 72 / 60 10 0 0 0
COTULLA 78 46 83 42 81 / 10 10 0 0 0
KINGSVILLE 83 47 81 44 76 / 30 0 0 0 0
NAVY CORPUS 76 56 78 53 73 / 40 0 0 0 0
&&
.CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ARANSAS...BEE...CALHOUN...GOLIAD...JIM
WELLS...KLEBERG...LIVE OAK...NUECES...REFUGIO...SAN
PATRICIO...VICTORIA.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: DUVAL...LA SALLE...MCMULLEN...WEBB.
FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: DUVAL...LA SALLE...
MCMULLEN...WEBB.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
DUVAL...LA SALLE...MCMULLEN...WEBB.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: COASTAL WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS OUT 20
NM...COASTAL WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL
OUT 20 NM...WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS 20 TO 60 NM...
WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 TO 60 NM.
GALE WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS...
BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO PORT OCONNOR...
COASTAL WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS OUT 20 NM...
COASTAL WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT
20 NM...WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS 20 TO 60 NM...
WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 TO 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT
ARANSAS...BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO PORT
OCONNOR.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM
BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS...BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT
ARANSAS TO PORT OCONNOR.
&&
SC/70...SHORT TERM
MB/80...LONG TERMHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 524 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-191030- BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS- BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO PORT OCONNOR- COASTAL WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM- WATERS BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 TO 60 NM- LA SALLE-MCMULLEN-LIVE OAK-BEE-GOLIAD-VICTORIA-WEBB-DUVAL- JIM WELLS-KLEBERG-NUECES-SAN PATRICIO-ARANSAS-REFUGIO-CALHOUN- 524 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE COASTAL BEND THIS MORNING. ALTHOUGH THE ATMOSPHERE APPEARS TO BE CAPPED...DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT MAY BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE CAP AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. ANY CONVECTION THAT DOES BREAK THE CAP WOULD BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL. VERY DRY AIR FILTERING IN BEHIND THE FRONT WILL INCREASE FIRE DANGER...ESPECIALLY OUT WEST WHERE A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF VERY DRY AIR AND PERSISTENT WINDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL CONTINUE FOR MARINE AREAS THROUGH TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY. LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE WITH THESE GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS...RESULTING IN NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS FOR WEDNESDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO OCCUR DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY...BEFORE WINDS DIMINISH WEDNESDAY EVENING. .LONG TERM FIRE WEATHER DISCUSSION... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST THURSDAY...ALLOWING FOR A RETURN OF ONSHORE FLOW AND MOISTURE TO GRADUALLY RETURN THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS UNLIKELY TO BE REQUIRED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Ramirez Fire burned 3500 acres along F.M. 339. One home was threatened and three barns destroyed. Multiple local and state resources responded. The exact beginning and containment time were not known at the time of this writing.
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: 90539.