A thunderstorm developed during the afternoon that produced a swath of wind damage and two tornado touch downs in portions of San Jacinto and Liberty Counties.
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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 HGX wrote it up.
A thunderstorm developed during the afternoon that produced a swath of wind damage and two tornado touch downs in portions of San Jacinto and Liberty Counties.
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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 12, 2:05 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 305 PM CDT WED OCT 12 2011 .DISCUSSION... AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS TIME OF YEAR...IT LOOKS LIKE THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL BE QUITE ACTIVE OVER THE NEXT WEEK. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH PUSHING ACROSS THE ARKLATEX AND N LA. TROUGH AXIS DOES LAG A BIT AND SEEMS TO BE THE MAIN DRIVING FORCE FOR CONVECTION OVER N AND E TX. CONVECTION EXTENDS BASICALLY FROM NACOGDOCHES BACK TO EAST OF TEMPLE. STILL SOME CHANCE THIS CONVECTION COULD SHIFT S OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS BUT THINK IT WILL HAVE A HARD TIME ORGANIZING. MAY HAVE A FEW ISO THUNDERSTORMS BUT THINK THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE SMALL. MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT INSTABILITY LOOKS RATHER LIMITED DUE TO THE LACK OF DAYTIME HEATING WITH CLOUD COVER. THE 12Z NAM PUSHES THE CONVECTION EAST WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENT BUT THE 12Z WRF- NMM SEEMS TO THINK MORE CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP THROUGH 03Z. FORECAST WILL MAINTAIN 30-40 POPS FOR THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA AND THEN DROP POPS TO 20 FOR THE OVERNIGHT. THINK ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME STABILIZED WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING AND MAY ONLY HAVE A FEW SHOWERS ALONG THE COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE AREA. A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM C KS TO THE N TX PANHANDLE SHOULD PUSH INTO THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT AND THEN OFF THE COAST BETWEEN 12-15Z THU. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH WITH FAIRLY DRY AIRMASS BEHIND IT. AFTERNOON HUMIDITY LEVELS COULD DROP TO AROUND 20 PERCENT WITH WINDS NEAR 15 MPH GUSTS TO 20-25. MOST OF SE TX HAS HAD SOME RECENT RAINFALL SO WILL NOT JUMP ONTO A RFW JUST YET. STILL THINK THERE WILL BE AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER MAINLY DUE TO THE WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY. EXPECT A DRY FORECAST OVER THE WEEKEND WITH RATHER SEASONABLE TEMPS. UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BECOMES ZONAL WITH A RIDGE OVER THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FOR THE WEEKEND. ANOTHER STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH THEN MOVES INTO THE PLAINS WHICH AMPLIFIES THE PATTERN ONCE AGAIN. THE 12Z ECWMF/CANADIAN/GEFS MEAN ALL HAVE A UPPER LOW CLOSING OFF OVER THE MIDWEST WITH THE RIDGE OVER THE GREAT BASIN. NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT SUPPORTS ANOTHER FRONTAL PUSH. ALL THE MODELS INCLUDING THE GFS PUT THE FRONT INTO SE TX NEXT TUE MORNING. LOOKS LIKE THE AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE ON THE COOL SIDE WITH TEMPS BELOW NORMAL. ADJUSTED TEMPS DOWN FOR THE END OF THE FORECAST WITH A BLEND OF THE GFS/ECMWF. THE FORECAST ALSO LEAVES 20 POPS FOR TUE AS THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH BUT SKEPTICAL OF THERE BEING VERY MUCH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE FOR CONVECTION. WILL AT LEAST MENTION SHOWERS WITH PLENTY OF TIME FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. && .MARINE... A LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT...AND A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE WATERS TOMORROW MORNING. WE COULD GET SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A LIGHT/MODERATE OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT TOMORROW THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT WITH WINDS VEERING TO THE EAST LATE FRIDAY OR FRIDAY NIGHT. A LIGHT TO MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW WILL RETURN LATE SATURDAY/ SUNDAY. A LONG EASTERLY FETCH BETWEEN A BROAD YUCATAN AREA SURFACE LOW AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES WILL RESULT IN INCREASING SWELLS OVER THE WEEKEND AND ON INTO NEXT WEEK. SEAS WILL BUILD TO 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS BEGINNING SATURDAY NIGHT...AND CAUTION FLAGS MAY BE NEEDED. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS STILL ANTICIPATED TO BRING HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS TO THE AREA BY THIS TIME NEXT WEEK. ADVISORY FLAGS ARE LIKELY. 42 && .FIRE WEATHER... AFTER THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...THERE COULD END UP BEING AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER DANGER THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS A MUCH DRIER AIR MASS SETTLES INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND BRINGS AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DOWN TO A 15% TO 25% RANGE. TOMORROW...EXPECT TO SEE NORTH WINDS AT 10 TO 20 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS. IF AREA GROUNDS HAVE DRIER OUT ENOUGH FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND'S RAINS...AND WE DO NOT GET A LOT OF RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT...THEN WE COULD END UP HAVING AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER THREAT FOR SOME FIRES. PLAN ON UPDATING OUR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND ISSUING A GRAPHICAST TO MENTION THIS POTENTIAL FIRE WEATHER THREAT. ALSO... WILL MENTION THE THREAT IN OUR AFTERNOON'S FWF 42 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 63 84 54 85 54 / 20 0 0 0 0 HOUSTON (IAH) 65 87 55 86 54 / 20 10 0 0 0 GALVESTON (GLS) 73 86 65 82 67 / 20 10 0 0 0 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && DISCUSSION...39 AVIATION/MARINE...42
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 246 PM CDT WED OCT 12 2011 TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-131200- AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND- GALVESTON-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA- MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON- WHARTON- 246 PM CDT WED OCT 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING COMBINED WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. THE MAIN TIME FRAME FOR THIS POTENTIAL EVENT WILL BE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CALDWELL TO CONROE TO CLEVELAND. STRONG WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A MUCH DRIER AIR MASS WILL FILTER INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON THURSDAY AFTER THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT. ELEVATED AND OCCASIONALLY GUSTY WINDS COMBINED WITH VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES COULD POSE AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER THREAT FOR THE AREA...ESPECIALLY IN AND AROUND SPOTS THAT DID NOT RECEIVED A LOT OF RAIN FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND AND DO NOT GET A LOT OF RAIN AHEAD OF TONIGHT'S COLD FRONT. ON FRIDAY...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL BE WEAKER...THE ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER THREAT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST DUE TO ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
The Houston radar (KHGX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:11 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees down just north of Squier Cemetary in southern San Jacinto County. Some trees were on houses and trailer homes.
Tornado touchdown near FM 163 and SH 321 was based on witness report. Damage was intermittent along a path from that point to near the intersection of FM 2286 and FM 2287 where a trailer was overturned and one woman was injured.
Wind gust of 61 mph from the south was measured at Cleveland Airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2011Warnings in Texas, October 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: 352800, 352803, 352801.