Strong thunderstorms that moved across Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley at the end of March provided plenty of beneficial rain to the region. This rainfall allowed for drought conditions to begin to improve across much of the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
Strong thunderstorms that moved across Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley at the end of March provided plenty of beneficial rain to the region. This rainfall allowed for drought conditions to begin to improve across much of the region.
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 Mar 31, 11:46 PM CST, 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1246 AM CDT SUN APR 1 2012 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...DEGRADED AVIATION CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS DUE TO THE FORMATION OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG. VFR WILL RAPIDLY RETURN AFTER SUNRISE AND PERSIST THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY DUE TO BREEZY WINDS AND ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO DETERIORATE LATE TOMORROW EVENING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 909 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ DISCUSSION...JUST SENT OUT A QUICK UPDATE MODIFYING THE OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE FAR WEST WHERE THE DEWPOINT MIXED DOWN ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR SOME PRETTY STRONG COOLING TONIGHT...CLOUD COVER WILL ALSO SET IN LATER THERE. UPDATED SKY GRIDS FOR CURRENT TRENDS AND REMOVED WEATHER FOR THIS EVENING/TONIGHT AS BOUNDARY LAYER HAS COOLED ENOUGH TO PREVENT SURFACE BASED CONVECTION WITHOUT A LOT OF HELP...WHICH DOESNT LOOK TO BE COMING IN THE NEAR TERM PER WV/IR TRENDS. ADDED FOG TO MARINE ZONES WHERE IT IS FORMING UP. NO OTHER CHANGES /68-JGG/ PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 641 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ DISCUSSION...A WEAK SHEAR ZONE AS PART OF A LONGER WAVE TROUGH IS MOVING SOUTH OVER CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT...SURFACE OBS AND AVAILABLE MODEL GUIDANCE SHOW IT HAS NEGLIGIBLE SURFACE AND UPPER REFLECTION. ANOTHER WEAK CLOSED UPPER LOW IS RETROGRADING OVER NORTH CENTRAL MEXICO TONIGHT. THE BEST UPPER DIVERGENCE FROM THIS SYSTEM IS OVER NORTHEASTERN MEXICO. THE CONVECTION ON THE SIERRA MADRE IS STRUGGLING FAR MORE THAN IT HAS IN RECENT DAYS AND THE INCOMING 00Z BRO SOUNDING SHOWS A STRONG LOW LEVEL CAPPING INVERSION. THE ONLY FEATURE THAT WOULD HELP LEAD TO CONVECTION TONIGHT IS THE ONE OVER NORTHCENTRAL MEXICO...SO HAVE DIALED BACK THE WX GROUP TO ONLY THE 20 PERCENT CHANCE REGION OVER THE RIVER REGION FROM ABOUT MCALLEN TO ZAPATA FOR THE SMALL POSSIBILITY THE LARGE SCALE LIFT HELPS CUT AT THE CAP...BUT FEEL PRETTY CONFIDENT WE WILL STAY DRY TONIGHT AREA WIDE. WITH RELATIVELY WEAK SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL LIKELY HAVE RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS OVERNIGHT...EXPECT LOW CLOUDS AND FOG...BUT LIKELY NOT DENSE FOG...THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT. MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO POP/WX BASED ON THE ANTICIPATED POSITION OF THE OPENING UPPER LOW/LONG WAVE TROUGH TOMORROW IN A POSITION TO PERHAPS GIVE SOME OF THE AREA A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...WITH BEST CHANCES NEAR THE SEABREEZE IN THE AFTERNOON...AND CLOSER TO MEXICO IN THE EVENING. STILL ONLY A 20 PERCENT CHANCE FOR NOW. INSTABILITY WOULD BE HIGH HOWEVER SO WOULD HAVE TO WATCH FOR HAIL/WIND WITH ANY STORMS. /68-JGG/ 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. AVIATION...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY EVENING WITH ANVIL DEBRIS AT AROUND 5000FT THE ONLY OBSTRUCTION. MORE CLOUDS WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. EXPECT THE CEILING WILL LIKELY FORM QUICKLY AS IFR OR LOW MVFR INVOF THE MIDNIGHT HOUR...WITH FOG FORMATION ALSO POSSIBLE. SOME LIFR CIG/VISBY WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE LAST FEW HOURS BEFORE SUNRISE...ESPECIALLY WHERE WINDS ARE CALMER. CEILINGS SHOULD IMPROVE FAIRLY QUICKLY TO VFR EXCEPT NEAR THE COAST. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL GUST IN THE 20 TO 25 KNOT RANGE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. /68/ PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 138 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...MIDLEVEL LOW STILL SPINNING IN CENTRAL MEXICO...WITH SOME MID LEVEL ENERGY OUT AHEAD OF IT. THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY FORMING UP ON MOUNTAINS IN MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS SHOULD DRIFT TO THE ESE THIS EVENING... POSSIBLY REACHING ZAPATA AND STARR COUNTIES LATE THIS EVENING. MORNING SOUNDING HAD A STRONGER CAP DUE TO WARMING AT H9...WHICH WILL INHIBIT FURTHER EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF STORMS. CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT WILL WILL BUILD DUE TO LIGHT WINDS AND AMPLE SURFACE MOISTURE FROM EARLIER RAINS. FOG FORMATION IS AGAIN FORECAST... WITH VIS LOWERING BELOW 2 SM IN MOST PLACES...AND PATCHY AREAS REACHING BELOW 1/2 SM. BY TOMORROW MORNING...THE REMNANTS OF THE MID LEVEL LOW WILL HAVE MOVED FAR ENOUGH EAST TO MINIMIZE HELPFUL DYNAMICS. THIS WILL LIMIT THUNDERSTORM FORMATION ON THE SIERRA MADRES AND WILL STRENGTHEN THE CAP ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS. TEMPS WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL LOCALLY...IN THE UPPER 80S NEAR THE COAST TO THE UPPER 90S INLAND. GULF MOISTURE WILL KEEP TEMPS UP FOR THE NIGHT AROUND 70. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN DOMINANT IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WHILE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL FILL OVER THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. A WEAK FRONT WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE FILLING SYSTEM. A MID LEVEL CUT OFF LOW WILL DIG SOUTHEAST FROM THE FOUR CORNERS AREA TOWARD WEST TEXAS MONDAY...WITH CYCLOGENESIS OVER OKLAHOMA AND A SECOND FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH OVER WEST TEXAS DURING THE DAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL DEVELOP MONDAY ACROSS EAST TEXAS... WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME STORMS COULD MAKE IT SOUTH INTO THE UPPER VALLEY. BUMPED POPS UP TO 20 PERCENT IN THE FAR WEST FOR THIS POSSIBILITY. UPPER ENERGY SHOULD STAY FAR ENOUGH NORTH TO AVOID TROUBLE LOCALLY AS THE LOW MOVES SLOWLY EAST THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH THE COLD FRONT PERHAPS PUSHING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THE MODELS DO NOT PUSH THE FRONT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CWA AS ADVERTISED BEFORE... AT LEAST THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY SHIFT WINDS AWAY FROM SOUTHEAST...BUT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP OVER THE CWA ON TUESDAY NIGHT...WHICH MAY EVEN PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY. BEYOND MID WEEK TEMPS CREEP UP AND THE WIND MACHINE BLOWS BREEZY AS THE NEXT MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGH PUSHES INLAND FROM THE WEST COAST. MARINE... TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FLUCTUATE AROUND 10 KNOTS THROUGH THE NEXT 36 HOURS WITH HIGH PRESSURE REMAINING ACROSS THE GULF WATERS. SEAS WILL REMAIN 3 FEET OR LESS THROUGHOUT. MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MID LEVEL CUT OFF LOW ROUGHLY OVER THE FOUR CORNERS MONDAY WILL INDUCE PRESSURE FALLS DOWNSTREAM IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL EXTEND SOUTH INTO WEST TEXAS...TIGHTENING THE GRADIENT AND INTERACTING WITH STUBBORN HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATING THE GULF OF MEXICO. LOOK FOR EXERCISE CAUTION CONDITIONS MONDAY FOR THE BAY AND GULF...AND BORDERLINE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS FOR BOTH WINDS AND SEAS MONDAY NIGHT ON THE GULF WATERS. SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL SETTLE BACK TO EXERCISE CAUTION LEVELS ON TUESDAY...BUT WAVE HEIGHTS OFFSHORE MAY STILL BE AROUND SEVEN FEET. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TUESDAY NIGHT AS WINDS DECREASE. THE UPSTREAM CUT OFF LOW WILL SHIFT SLOWLY EAST AND FILL BETWEEN MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY...WITH A WEAKER RENDITION OF A COLD FRONT PROGGED TO WASH OUT OVER CENTRAL OR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY. STRONGER SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH ONSHORE WIND REDEVELOPMENT WEDNESDAY NIGHT COULD LEAD TO SOME STREAMER SHOWER ACTIVITY THURSDAY MORNING. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 649 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 TXZ249>251-254>257-020000- JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-INLAND WILLACY-INLAND CAMERON- COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 649 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IF THUNDERSTORMS OCCUR A FEW COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THERE MAY BE ELEVATED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AT AREA BEACHES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... FORMAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HAIL AND WIND ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-020000- 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- 649 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. TXZ248-252-253-020000- ZAPATA-STARR-HIDALGO- 649 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR MCALLEN TO ZAPATA. IF STORMS DEVELOP A FEW MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IF STORMS OCCUR A FEW MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... FORMAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GIBBS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Hidalgo County saw improvement in drought conditions. The western two thirds of the county improved to D2 drought, with the eastern third remaining in D3 drought conditions.
Brooks County saw overall improvement in drought conditions with most of the county in D2 drought conditions, with the far SE corner in D3 drought conditions.
Jim Hogg County saw improvement in drought conditions for much of the county. The central portion of the county was in D2 drought, with a sliver of D1 drought on the southern edge of the county and D3 drought along the northern county line.
Zapata County saw modest improvement in drought conditions. Only the northeastern third of the county remained in D3 drought with the remainder of the county in D2 drought.
Kenedy County saw little improvement in drought conditions. The NE corner of the county remained in Exceptional (D4) drought conditions, while the remainder of the county continued in Extreme (D3) drought.
Willacy County saw no improvement in drought conditions. The entire county remained engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Cameron County saw no improvement in drought conditions. The entire county remained engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Coastal Cameron County saw no improvement in drought conditions. The entire region remained engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Coastal Willacy County saw no improvement in drought conditions. The entire region remained engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
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: 379359, 379360, 379361, 379362, 379396, 379397, 379398, 379399, 379400.