Canadian high pressure settling over the Rio Grande Valley overnight on the 21st and into the morning of the 22nd allowed maximum radiational cooling near the surface, dropping temperatures into the upper 20s to mid 30s across all of Deep South Texas. Several hours of freezing temperatures occurred from Zapata through Kenedy County during the early morning of the 22nd.
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.
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 BRO wrote it up.
Canadian high pressure settling over the Rio Grande Valley overnight on the 21st and into the morning of the 22nd allowed maximum radiational cooling near the surface, dropping temperatures into the upper 20s to mid 30s across all of Deep South Texas. Several hours of freezing temperatures occurred from Zapata through Kenedy County during the early morning of the 22nd.
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 Jan 21, 8:22 PM CST, 6 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 822 PM CST FRI JAN 21 2011 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH 6 AM SUNDAY/...HIGH PRESSURE IS SEEN THIS EVENING STRETCHING INTO SOUTH TEXAS. THIS WILL GIVE LIGHT TO CALM WINDS TONIGHT AND DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A FEW LOCATIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN FEW COUNTIES SAW A LIGHT FREEZE LAST NIGHT. THIS IS EXPECTED TO AGAIN OCCUR AS GIVEN LIGHT TO CALM WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES THIS EVENING HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT SLOWER TO COOL THAN ORIGINALLY EXPECTED. HOWEVER...STILL FEEL THAT CONDITIONS ARE ON TRACK TO SEE LOWS TONIGHT AROUND 30 NORTH TO THE MID AND UPPER 30S SOUTH AND FOR COASTAL LOCATIONS. AS A RESULT...A FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM SATURDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE CENTERED OVER THE AREA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. THIS WILL GIVE RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE DAY AS WELL AS CLEAR SKIES. A COOLER AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER THE REGION WILL KEEP HIGHS IN THE MIDDLE 60S ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FOR SATURDAY. BY SATURDAY NIGHT THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT TO THE EAST OF THE AREA...ALLOWING THE WINDS TO SWITCH BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTHEAST. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT AS A RESULT WILL BE A BIT WARMER. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT SHOULD RANGE FROM AROUND 40 NORTH TO THE MID AND UPPER 40S SOUTH AND FOR COASTAL LOCATIONS. OVERALL HAVE NOT MADE ANY CHANGES TO THE SHORT TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST THIS EVENING AS EVERYTHING IS GENERALLY ON TRACK. .LONG TERM /6 AM SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE GULF ON SUNDAY CAUSING A RETURN SOUTHEAST FLOW OF AIR. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO SLIGHT BELOW NORMAL READINGS ON SUNDAY UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK CAUSING COOLER TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN. AN OVERRUNNING TYPE CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK CAUSING BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD AIR WILL MAKE IT TO DEEP SOUTH TEXAS LATE WEDNESDAY CAUSING SKIES TO CLEAR TEMPERATURES TO BE SLIGHTLY COOLER. THE AIRMASS WILL GRADUALLY MODIFY BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA WILL GENERALLY GIVE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. WINDS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT AND SOMEWHAT VARIABLE. BY LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON ON SATURDAY...WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SWITCH AROUND TO THE EAST AND EVENTUALLY SOUTHEAST AT BETWEEN 5 AND 10 KTS. OVERALL NO PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED FOR AREA TERMINALS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. && .MARINE...TONIGHT THROUGH 6 AM SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA WILL KEEP LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. WINDS OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE LOWER TEXAS COASTAL WATERS THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY SATURDAY...BUT WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT TO MORE OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST BY SATURDAY EVENING. LIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. 6 AM SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A RETURN SOUTHEAST FLOW OF AIR ON SUNDAY WILL CAUSE MODERATE WINDS AND SEAS TO POSSIBLE SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION CONDITIONS. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY CAUSING SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS IN ITS WAKE WITH MODERATE TO STRONG NORTH WINDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE MOST OF NEXT WEEK WITH A COASTAL TROUGH CAUSING MODERATE WINDS AND SEA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 39 62 51 68 / 0 0 0 30 BROWNSVILLE 37 63 51 68 / 0 0 0 30 HARLINGEN 34 64 48 69 / 0 0 0 30 MCALLEN 35 64 48 71 / 0 0 0 10 RIO GRANDE CITY 33 65 45 71 / 0 0 0 10 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 43 60 55 65 / 0 0 0 30 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...FREEZE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY FOR TXZ248>251. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE 67/65
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1234 PM CST FRI JAN 21 2011 GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-221200- 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- 1234 PM CST FRI JAN 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ZAPATA...JIM HOGG...BROOKS...AND WESTERN KENEDY COUNTIES TONIGHT...THE FREEZE WARNING BEGINS AT 2 AM CST SATURDAY MORNING. THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND BOCA CHICA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A FREEZE WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 8 AM CST SATURDAY FOR ZAPATA...JIM HOGG...BROOKS...AND KENEDY COUNTIES. A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IS POSSIBLE AT THE BEACHES OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NECESSARY ACROSS THE OFFSHORE GULF OF MEXICO COASTAL WATERS SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE WINDS AND SEAS BEHIND A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA SUNDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MARTIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
Temperatures fell to a morning low of 29 degrees on January 22nd. Based on surrounding observations, most areas in Brooks County were assumed to have five hours of freezing temperatures from 3 to 8 AM.
Temperatures fell to a morning low of 29 degrees on January 22nd in Falfurrias, 33 miles east but typically similar, if not warmer, than much of Jim Hogg County. Based on surrounding observations, most areas in Jim Hogg County were assumed to have five hours of freezing temperatures from 3 to 8 AM.
Temperatures fell to a morning low of 29 degrees on January 22nd in Sarita and Armstrong in Kenedy County. Based on similar observations from across Deep South Texas, most areas on the King Ranch were assumed to have five hours of freezing temperatures from 3 to 8 AM.
Temperatures fell to a morning low of 28 degrees on January 22nd near Falcon Heights, along the Starr/Zapata county line, and at the Zapata/Medina Airport. At Falcon, the freeze lasted from 3 until 8 AM CST; at Zapata, from 4 until 9 AM CST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 2011
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: 277520, 277521, 277522, 277523.