Texas, 2011

Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2011

October 1 to 31, 2011 · NWS CRP · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

The exceptional drought persisted over South Texas through the month of October. Although there were a few days with beneficial rainfall over portions of South Texas during October, rainfall amounts remained well below normal.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
15

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 CRP wrote it up.

The exceptional drought persisted over South Texas through the month of October. Although there were a few days with beneficial rainfall over portions of South Texas during October, rainfall amounts remained well below normal. Monthly rainfall deficits were from 1 to 2 inches for the Brush Country and the Victoria Crossroads to between 2 and 4 inches over the Coastal Bend. Only isolated areas received above normal rainfall for the month, mainly over northern Duval, northern Goliad, and central Webb Counties.

Different stages of water restrictions were in effect for the cities of Laredo, Victoria, Point Comfort, and the Santa Gertrudis District of King Ranch in Kleberg County. The city officials for Corpus Christi were asking residents to voluntarily conserve water.

The rain helped to improve topsoil moisture, but grass growth remained slow. Many farmers opted out of planting winter or pasture crops due to lack of soil moisture. Livestock producers continued to sell cattle with hay in short supply.

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1141 PM CDT FRI SEP 30 2011

.DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR 6Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR NEXT 24 HRS ALL TERMINALS. DRIER CONTINUES TO
FILTER INTO S TX TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE MAIN INFLUENCE ON AREA WX
THRU SAT NIGHT RESULTING IN LIGHT TO LOW END MOD WINDS FROM THE
ENE AND LITTLE CLOUD COVER.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 937 PM CDT FRI SEP 30 2011/

DISCUSSION...ONLY MADE MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO FORECAST FOR
TONIGHT AND THAT WAS TO ADJUST DEWPOINTS BASED OFF SEABREEZE
LOCATION AND REGIONAL OBS. LAPSE RATES OFFSHORE ARE PROG TO
STEEPEN OVERNIGHT AND WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON WIND SPEEDS AS
VALUES MAY APPROACH SCA CRITERIA AFTER MIDNIGHT...ESPECIALLY 20
TO 60 NM OUT BETWEEN PORT ARANSAS AND PORT O CONNOR...BUT FOR NOW
WILL LEAVE AT SCEC VALUES. CHANGES MADE DO NOT REQUIRE UPDATED
ZONES TO BE SENT.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CORPUS CHRISTI    68  90  67  87  65  /   0   0   0   0   0
VICTORIA          63  89  59  88  59  /   0   0   0   0   0
LAREDO            70  93  69  92  69  /  10  10  10   0   0
ALICE             66  92  64  90  63  /   0   0   0   0   0
ROCKPORT          72  88  71  86  69  /   0   0   0   0   0
COTULLA           64  92  64  91  62  /   0  10   0   0   0
KINGSVILLE        67  91  65  89  63  /  10   0  10   0   0
NAVY CORPUS       73  88  72  86  71  /   0   0   0   0   0

&&

.CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...NONE.

&&

AVIATION...HART/79
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 30, 9:29 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1029 PM CDT FRI SEP 30 2011

GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-020330-
BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS-
BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO PORT O'CONNOR-
COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT
20 NM-WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL FROM 20 TO
60 NM-LA SALLE-MCMULLEN-LIVE OAK-BEE-GOLIAD-VICTORIA-WEBB-DUVAL-
JIM WELLS-KLEBERG-NUECES-SAN PATRICIO-ARANSAS-REFUGIO-CALHOUN-
1029 PM CDT FRI SEP 30 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE
TEXAS COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

HART

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Aransas

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Aransas forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.015, -97.074 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bee

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bee forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.417, -97.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Calhoun

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.439, -96.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Duval

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Duval forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
27.681, -98.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Goliad

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Goliad forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.657, -97.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jim Wells

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jim Wells forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
27.731, -98.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kleberg

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kleberg forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
27.427, -97.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, La Salle

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
La Salle forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.345, -99.100 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Live Oak

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Live Oak forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.351, -98.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McMullen

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
McMullen forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.353, -98.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Nueces

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Nueces forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
27.735, -97.516 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Refugio

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Refugio forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.322, -97.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, San Patricio

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
San Patricio forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.009, -97.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Victoria

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Victoria forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
28.796, -96.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Webb

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Webb forecast zone
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
27.761, -99.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, October 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: 351954, 351955, 351956, 351957, 351958, 351959, 351960, 351961, 351962, 351963, 351964, 351965, 351966, 351967, 351968.