Drought in Texas, September 8 to 14, 2009

Name: Drought in Texas, September 8 to 14, 2009
Start: 2009-09-08T00:00
End: 2009-09-14T23:59
Location: Texas

September 8 to 14, 2009 · NWS BRO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Dry conditions continued across most of Deep South Texas in early September. However a few showers moved across portions of the County Warning Area which allowed a slight improvement across portions of Zapata, Starr, Hidalgo, and Cameron Counties.

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.

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 7, 6:38 PM CST, 5 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 6:38 PM CST, 5 hours 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
738 PM CDT MON SEP 7 2009

.DISCUSSION...AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONVECTION NEARLY ENDED OVER
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AT THIS TIME. GFS MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUING TO
SUGGEST THAT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH SURFACE TROUGHINESS...
VERY DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE...AND LIGHT SURFACE WINDS IN PLACE.
MOST INTERESTING ASPECT OF GFS GUIDANCE IS DEVELOPMENT OF WEAK
TROPICAL SYSTEM ALONG THE LOWER TEXAS COAST LATE IN THE COMING
WEEKEND. WAY TOO EARLY TO SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT THIS WILL INDEED
OCCUR. IN THE MEANTIME...TROPICAL DOWNPOURS WILL AID IN LESSENING
THE GRIP THE EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CURRENTLY HAS ON THE
RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
&&

.MARINE...SEAS WILL REMAIN NEARLY FLAT THIS WEEK AS OUR WIND FIELD
WILL BE PERSISTENTLY WEAK FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST. THERE WILL BE
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS AND
SEAS WILL ALWAYS BE HIGHER IN AND NEAR THUNDERSTORMS.
&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS AT REGIONAL AERODROMES WITH LIGHT EAST
WINDS BECMG LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT. PERIODS OF SHRAS SHOULD
REDEVELOP AROUND 09Z...BRINGING TEMPO MVFR/IFR IN SCT TSTMS. VSBYS
SHOULD DROP TO BELOW 3/4SM IN HVY RAINS.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL  77  89  77  89 /  10  50  30  40
BROWNSVILLE          77  91  77  90 /  10  50  30  40
HARLINGEN            76  92  75  91 /  10  50  30  40
MCALLEN              77  93  76  92 /  10  50  30  40
RIO GRANDE CITY      75  92  75  91 /  10  50  30  40
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND   78  88  78  88 /  10  50  30  40
&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&

THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE

SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...TOMASELLI-66
MARINE/AVIATION...PHILO-58
FXC/MESO...HART-69

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 11:39 PM CST, 21 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1239 AM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-081100-
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-
1239 AM CDT TUE SEP 8 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF
OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE.

.DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK
WITH AREAS OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND GUSTY WINDS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

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, Cameron

When: September 8, 12:00 AM CST to September 14, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cameron forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.152, -97.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dry conditions continued across Cameron County in early September. However a few showers allowed some improvement across portions of the county. The Exceptional (D4) drought conditions continued across the east two thirds of the county and extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across the west one third of the county.

Drought, Hidalgo

When: September 8, 12:00 AM CST to September 14, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hidalgo forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.397, -98.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A few showers moved across portions of Hidalgo County the first week of September resulting in a slight improvement in some areas. The Extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across the north three quarters of the county and Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the southern one quarter of the county.

Drought, Starr

When: September 8, 12:00 AM CST to September 14, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Starr forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.562, -98.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A few showers moved across portions of Starr County the first week of September resulting in a slight improvement in some areas. The Extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across the north three quarters of the county and Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the southern one quarter of the county.

Drought, Zapata

When: September 8, 12:00 AM CST to September 14, 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)

A few showers moved across portions of Zapata County the first week of September resulting in a slight improvement in some areas. The Extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across the east one third of the county and Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailed across the western two thirds of the county.

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, September 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 195060, 195061, 195062, 195063.