Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2009

Name: Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2009
Start: 2009-10-01T00:00
End: 2009-10-31T23:59
Location: Texas

October 1 to 31, 2009 · NWS BRO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.

Rains that fell across Deep South Texas in September resulted in improvement in the drought across the County Warning Area in early October. In general, average rainfall from 3 to 5 inches across the northern tier of counties from Brooks to Zapata in September was followed by around an inch in October. The lesser rains were balanced by lowering temperatures and longer nights, increasing dew formation. Only Kenedy County received above average rainfall each month; however, recovery on the King Ranch was much slower due to prolonged drought going back into 2007, as Hurricane Dolly and other soaking events in the Rio Grande Valley missed this area.

What forecasters said that day

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 Sep 30, 6:00 PM CST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 6:00 PM CST, 6 hours before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Kenedy

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kenedy forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Beneficial rains which moved across Kenedy County the end of September resulted in an improvement in the drought conditions in October. Still, the long term drought which began in mid 2007 and was largely uninterrupted through 2008 as the area missed soaking rains from Dolly and other events, exceptional (D4) conditions held on near the Kleberg County line toward Baffin Bay, extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across the northern one quarter of the county and Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the north central one quarter of the county through the 26th.

A frontal system dumping locally heavy rains in Kenedy County on the 26th helped to remove exceptional conditions from the northern tip of the county, with severe to extreme conditions isolated to the northern third of the County at month's end.

Drought, Jim Hogg

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jim Hogg forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 27.043, -98.697 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Beneficial rains which moved across Jim Hogg County the end of September resulted in an improvement in the drought conditions in October. Rainfall of around an inch or less across the northern third of the county maintained Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the northern half of the county, with a sliver of Extreme (D3) conditions from just south of Hebbronville east to the Brooks County line.

Drought, Brooks

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brooks forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 27.032, -98.219 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Beneficial rains which moved across Brooks County the end of September resulted in an improvement in the drought conditions in October. However, rainfall of generally less than an inch across the northern half of the county held Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the northern two thirds of the county, with a sliver of Extreme (D3) conditions along and north of State Highway 285 through the month.

Drought, Zapata

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Zapata forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe Drought (D2) Conditions continued across the northeast quarter of Zapata County through the month of October. A small sliver of Extreme (D3) conditions stretched just across the northeast border starting around the 20th.

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, October 2009

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 196890, 196892, 196893, 200612.