Drought in Texas, April 5 to 30, 2011

Name: Drought in Texas, April 5 to 30, 2011
Start: 2011-04-05T00:00
End: 2011-04-30T23:59
Location: Texas

April 5 to 30, 2011 · NWS BRO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A lack of rainfall across Deep South Texas resulted in the drought conditions spreading and intensifying across the region soon after the beginning of April. Extreme (D3) Drought conditions developed across the entire Rio Grande Valley except for the immediate coast, with severe conditions in a stripe from Brooks County to eastern Cameron and Willacy Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

These conditions would prevail through month's end, as persistent, record heat, zero rainfall, and strong southerly winds worsened conditions with virtually no wetting moisture, including very little morning dew. Dryland crop damage began to appear at month's end; dollar damage estimated will be available with the May Storm Data report.

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 Apr 4, 11:28 PM CST, 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 11:28 PM CST, 32 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1228 AM CDT TUE APR 5 2011

.DISCUSSION...AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED FOR 06Z TAFS.
&&

.AVIATION...KBRO VAD WIND PROFILE SHOWING NORTHERLY TO NORTHEASTERLY
WINDS AROUND 30 KNOTS A FEW THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. HOWEVER...
SURFACE WINDS SHOULD REMAIN GENERALLY MODERATE OVERNIGHT...AND THUS
A NON-CONVECTIVE WIND SHEAR PARAMETER HAS NOT BEEN ADDED TO THE TAF
PACKAGE AT THIS TIME. FINE FLYING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE
NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH VFR CONDITIONS OF CLEAR SKIES AND MODERATE VEERING
WINDS COURTESY OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY MOVING TO THE EAST.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1013 PM CDT MON APR 4 2011/

UPDATE...UPDATED FOR EXPIRATION OF RED FLAG WARNING.
&&

DISCUSSION...NORTH WINDS HAVE DECREASED ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
LATE THIS EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE SPREADS ACROSS THE AREA IN THE
WAKE OF A COLD FRONT. RED FLAG CRITERIA ARE NO LONGER BEING MET
AND THE RED FLAG WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE ON SCHEDULE.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL  63  80  71  85 /   0   0   0   0
BROWNSVILLE          63  81  71  86 /   0   0   0   0
HARLINGEN            61  84  71  89 /   0   0   0   0
MCALLEN              60  87  70  93 /   0   0   0   0
RIO GRANDE CITY      60  90  69  96 /   0   0   0   0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND   67  73  70  76 /   0   0   0   0
&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 1 AM CDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR
GMZ130-132-135.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
GMZ150-155-170-175.
&&

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

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 4, 11:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1250 AM CDT TUE APR 5 2011

TXZ248>257-051100-
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
1250 AM CDT TUE APR 5 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT.

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE
ISLAND AND BOCA CHICA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

AN ELEVATED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IS POSSIBLE AT THE LOCAL BEACHES
THROUGH A MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-051100-
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-
1250 AM CDT TUE APR 5 2011

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

.DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO WATERS
EAST OF PADRE ISLAND THROUGH TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE GULF WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND
WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM TUESDAY AFTERNOON...AND MAY NEED TO
BE EXTENDED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF TUESDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
IS POSSIBLE FOR PORTIONS OF THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF DEEP
SOUTH TEXAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...AND AGAIN FRIDAY
NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN 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

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Zapata

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

The drought conditions intensified across Zapata County in early April. Severe D2 drought conditions had occurred across Zapata County in March. However extreme D3 drought conditions developed across all of Zapata County by April 5th due to the continued lack of significant rainfall.

Dryland crop damage began developing by month's end, and livestock feed was affected. Details on degree of crop damage will be available in the May Storm Data report.

Drought, Jim Hogg

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

The drought conditions intensified across Jim Hogg County in early April. The severe D2 drought conditions which had occurred across Jim Hogg County in March intensified to extreme D3 drought conditions in early April due to the continued lack of significant rainfall combined with record heat.

Dryland crop damage began developing by month's end, and livestock feed was also affected. Details on degree of crop damage will be available in the May Storm Data report.

Drought, Starr

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

The drought conditions intensified across Starr County in early April. The severe D2 drought conditions which had occurred across Starr County in March intensified to extreme D3 drought conditions in early April due to the continued lack of significant rainfall and record heat. Some areas in southern portions of the county received less than an inch of rain since October 1st, 2010.

Dryland crop damage began developing by month's end, and livestock feed was affected. Details on degree of crop damage will be available in the May Storm Data report.

Drought, Hidalgo

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

The drought conditions intensified across Hidalgo County in early April. The severe D2 drought conditions which had occurred across Hidalgo County in March intensified to extreme D3 drought conditions in early April due to the continued lack of significant rainfall. Some areas in southwest Hidalgo County had received less than an inch of rain since October 1st, 2010. Intense, record heat (for April) and gusty winds exacerbated the drought as well.

Dryland crop damage began developing by month's end, and livestock feed was also affected. Details on degree of crop damage will be available in the May Storm Data report.

Drought, Brooks

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 18, 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)

The drought conditions intensified across Brooks County in early April. Extreme D3 drought conditions developed across the western half of Brooks County in early April due to the continued lack of significant rainfall, combined with record heat and wind.

Drought, Cameron

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Extreme D3 drought conditions developed across the western half of Cameron County and Severe D2 drought conditions developed across the eastern half of Cameron County in early April. A lack of significant rainfall across Deep South Texas the end of March resulted in the worsening of the drought conditions across the county; record to near record heat and drying winds contributed as well.

Drought, Willacy

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Willacy forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 26.477, -97.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme D3 drought conditions developed across the western half of Willacy County and Severe D2 drought conditions developed across the eastern half of Willacy County in early April. A lack of significant rainfall across Deep South Texas the end of March resulted in the worsening of the drought conditions across the county; record to near record heat and persistent drying winds contributed as well.

Drought, Kenedy

When: April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 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)

Severe Drought (D2) conditions developed across the southwestern one tenth of Kenedy County to begin April, and would spread into the entire southern half of the county by April 19th, continuing through the end of the month. A lack of significant rainfall across Kenedy County at the end of March resulted in the worsening of the drought conditions across the county; record to near record heat, persistent wind, and no rain in April exacerbated conditions heading into May.

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 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, April 2011

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: 284143, 284158, 284161, 284164, 284165, 284166, 284183, 284184.