Above normal rainfall occurred over the coastal plains of South Texas during the month of April. This continued the trend of diminishing the severity of the drought over this region.
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.
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 CRP wrote it up.
Above normal rainfall occurred over the coastal plains of South Texas during the month of April. This continued the trend of diminishing the severity of the drought over this region. However, the Brush Country to along the Rio Grande received well below normal rainfall for the month. The drought severity held in these areas for the month.
The highest rainfall in April occurred over the coastal counties. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches occurred over the coastal counties. Localized extreme rainfall amounts of around 15 inches occurred in eastern San Patricio and southern Refugio Counties on April 16th. Rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch occurred over the Brush Country.
In the area along the coast, rainfall amounts were 150 to 200 percent of normal for March with areas over San Patricio and Refugio Counties at 300 to 600 percent of normal for the month.
With this amount of rainfall, the drought was reduced to moderate category over the northern Coastal Bend and Victoria Crossroads by the end of the month. The exceptional drought over the southern Coastal Bend was reduced to severe status by the end of the month. The drought status remained in the severe status over most of the Brush Country with extreme drought holding over most of Webb County.
Different stages of water restrictions continued for Point Comfort, Alice, and King Ranch Santa Gertrudis District. Voluntary water restrictions were in effect for Laredo, Nueces County, East Riviera, and Mirando City.
Soil moisture improved over the Coastal Bend while moisture remained short over|the rest of South Texas. Crop moisture indices were excessively dry over the Brush Country and Rio Grande Plains.
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 Mar 31, 10:44 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 1144 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 .DISCUSSION...SEE AVIATION SECTION FOR 06Z TAFS. && .AVIATION...LOW STRATUS DEVELOPING OVER THE NORTHERN COASTAL BEND INTO THE MID COAST EXPECTED TO FILL IN AND SLOWLY SPREAD INLAND TO THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE BRUSH COUNTRY OVERNIGHT. LOW MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS EXPECTED TO LOWER TO LIFR OVER THE COASTAL PLAINS AFTER 09Z WITH AREAS OF FOG POSSIBLE OVER THE INLAND COASTAL PLAINS FROM ALICE TO VICTORIA. VSBYS COULD FALL TO VLIFR IN PATCHY DENSE FOG BEFORE DAYBREAK. EXPECT QUICK IMPROVEMENT AROUND 15Z-16Z ON SUNDAY TO VFR WITH GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS OVER THE COASTAL BEND. VFR CONDS WILL BE PREVALENT INTO THE EVENING WITH AREAS OF MVFR CEILINGS IN STRATUS LIKELY TO DEVELOP AGAIN OVER THE NORTHERN COASTAL BEND TO THE VICTORIA AREA AROUND 04Z MONDAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1015 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ DISCUSSION...MAIN ADJUSTMENT FOR TONIGHT IS TO SHOW A GRADUAL INCREASE IN LOW STRATUS ALONG WITH PATCHY FOG FOR THE COASTAL PLAINS. 00Z CRP SOUNDING CONTINUED TO SHOW A DRIER AIRMASS BUT BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE REMAINS HIGH WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 70S OVER THE COASTAL PLAINS. PATCHY FOG HAS ALREADY FORMED ALONG THE COAST AND MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO SHOW FOG EARLY AND FURTHER INTO THE BRUSH COUNTRY OVERNIGHT. OTHERWISE...NO OTHER CHANGES MADE TO FORECAST. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 617 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ DISCUSSION...SEE AVIATION SECTION. AVIATION...VFR CONDITION WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. OVERNIGHT A 20KT LLJ IS EXPECTED TO DVLP LEADING TO STRATUS...WHILE AT THE SFC DEWPOINT/TEMP SPREAD WILL LEAD TO PATCY FOG. AM EXPECTING A MIX OF STRATUS AND FOG WITH ONE OR THE OTHER LOWERING CONDITIONS TO IFR/LIFR LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. VFR CONDITIONS WILL REDVLP BY MID MORNING ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUE THE REMAINDER SUNDAY AFTERNOON. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CORPUS CHRISTI 69 87 72 88 72 / 0 0 10 20 20 VICTORIA 67 88 70 84 70 / 0 0 10 30 30 LAREDO 71 100 73 96 72 / 10 0 10 10 20 ALICE 67 92 70 91 69 / 0 0 10 20 20 ROCKPORT 71 84 73 83 72 / 0 0 10 20 30 COTULLA 66 98 68 90 68 / 0 0 10 20 40 KINGSVILLE 69 89 70 88 72 / 10 0 10 20 20 NAVY CORPUS 71 83 73 84 73 / 0 0 10 20 20 && .CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && TMT/89...SHORT TERM/AVIATION
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 556 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-011100- 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- 556 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. 87/85
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought reduced to moderate status after April 16th rain event.
Drought reduced to moderate status after April 16th rain event.
Drought reduced to moderate status after April 16th rain event.
Drought reduced to moderate status after April 16th rain event.
Drought reduced to moderate status after April 16th rain event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2012
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: 378861, 378862, 378863, 378864, 378865, 378866, 378867, 378868, 378869, 378870, 378871, 378872, 378873, 378874, 378875.