A few showers and thunderstorms moved across the Rio Grande Plains on September 29th and again on October 1st, improving long term drought conditions slightly across Zapata County. Additional rainfall on October 9th would lock in Extreme (D3) conditions through month's end, with the usual dry season underway.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
A few showers and thunderstorms moved across the Rio Grande Plains on September 29th and again on October 1st, improving long term drought conditions slightly across Zapata County. Additional rainfall on October 9th would lock in Extreme (D3) conditions through month's end, with the usual dry season underway.
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 Oct 3, 11:46 PM CST, 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1246 AM CDT TUE OCT 4 2011 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS THROUGH SUNRISE WILL BE NEARLY CALM BEFORE BECOMING EAST 10 TO 12 KNOTS WITH A COUPLE GUSTS NEARING 15. WINDS WILL AGAIN RETURN TO CALM AFTER SUNSET TONIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 702 PM CDT MON OCT 3 2011/ DISCUSSION...UPDATE FOR 00Z TAFS. AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE REGIONAL AIRPORTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE EAST TO NORTHEAST TONIGHT BECOMING EAST ON TUESDAY. A RELATIVELY DRY AND STABLE AIRMASS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 143 PM CDT MON OCT 3 2011/ SHORT TERM/TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...SFC HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE NORTH GULF CONTINUES TO BRING COOLER AND DRIER AIR INTO DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. AIR TEMPS OVER THE WATER ARE AROUND 80...AND WITH A NORTHEAST TO EAST WIND HIGH TEMPS OVER LAND ARE STRUGGLING IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S THIS AFTERNOON. A MARINE INVERSION HAS ALLOWED SOME MOISTURE TO POOL AND FORM A SCT TO BKN DECK OF SCU AT 5 KFT...BUT THESE CLOUDS ARE CONTINGENT ON WINDS AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND WILL SCATTER OUT AS WINDS DECREASE. DEW POINTS REMAIN IN THE 40S AND 50S...WHICH REQUIRED AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE ONGOING FORECAST BY A FEW DEGREES. AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR OBS TODAY...BELIEVE THAT TOMORROW'S DEW POINTS MAY NEED TO BE LOOKED AT AGAIN BASED ON THE GFS NUMBERS STILL LOOKING A LITTLE HIGH. OTHERWISE...BELIEVE TUESDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO TODAY...THOUGH PWAT INCREASING TO AN INCH AND A HALF SUGGESTS MORE MOISTURE AND MAYBE TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO HIGHER THAN TODAY. CLOUD COVER WILL REMAIN AT OR ON THE LOWER SIDE OF SCATTERED LONG TERM/WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE EXTENDING ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH FRIDAY WILL PRODUCE LIGHT TO MODERATE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PROPAGATE EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY BECOMING MODERATE AND GUSTY DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EARLY EVENINGS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK. SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THIS WEEKEND ACCOMPANIED BY A WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST. LIGHT TO MODERATE NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THIS WEEKEND. MARINE...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...BUOY 020 REPORTS LIGHT EAST WINDS AND LOW WAVE HEIGHTS AROUND 3 FEET WITH A SIX SECOND PERIOD. KEPT SEAS AT THREE FEET IN THE FORECAST BASED ON HOLDING STEADY OBS AND WINDS NOT EXPECTED TO CHANGE MUCH. LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW MARINE INSTABILITY TO OVERCOME MIXING AND DEVELOP ISOLATED SHOWERS TO THE SOUTH...WHICH COULD THEN DRIFT INTO THE SOUTHERN MARINE AREA WITH EVEN A SPRINKLE OR TWO POSSIBLE FOR THE ISLAND. WINDS SHOW A HINT OF VEERING TO SOUTHEAST TUESDAY NIGHT BUT WILL REMAIN LIGHT TO MODERATE WITH WAVE HEIGHTS POSSIBLY INCREASING A FOOT. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...LIGHT TO MODERATE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AND LOW SEAS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE MARINE AREAS ON WEDNESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE LOCATED ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO INCREASING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE WINDS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS. MODERATE AND GUSTY EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION OR SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 86 71 90 76 / 10 10 10 10 BROWNSVILLE 87 70 92 74 / 10 10 10 10 HARLINGEN 87 68 92 73 / 10 10 10 10 MCALLEN 89 67 93 73 / 10 10 10 10 RIO GRANDE CITY 90 66 94 71 / 10 10 10 10 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 81 75 86 79 / 10 10 10 10 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE 64/59
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 509 AM CDT MON OCT 3 2011 TXZ248>257-041015- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 509 AM CDT MON OCT 3 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND BOCA CHICA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-041015- 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- 509 AM CDT MON OCT 3 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall on October 1st, and again on October 9th across Zapata County removed the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought in the northwest corner, leaving the entire county at Extreme (D3) levels on the 11th - conditions which prevailed into early November.
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, 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: 342048.