Rainfall Ranging from 2 to 4 inches across the Rio Grande Valley northward through the King Ranch, and 1 to 3 inches across the south Texas Brush Country of Jim Hogg County brought improvement to the drought by the middle of February 2012. Nearly every county saw drought improve one category on the 14th, with additional improvement across most areas by the 21st as welcome rains soaked into the…
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
Rainfall Ranging from 2 to 4 inches across the Rio Grande Valley northward through the King Ranch, and 1 to 3 inches across the south Texas Brush Country of Jim Hogg County brought improvement to the drought by the middle of February 2012. Nearly every county saw drought improve one category on the 14th, with additional improvement across most areas by the 21st as welcome rains soaked into the parched soil.
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 Feb 13, 11:43 PM CST, 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1143 PM CST MON FEB 13 2012 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGES INDICATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOG STARTING OVER KMFE AND KHRL EARLY TONIGHT. LIGHT TO CALM WINDS... GOOD HUMIDITY IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND BREAKS IN CLOUDS WILL FAVOR FOR WIDESPREAD FOG ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY TONIGHT. THIS WILL IMPACT THE THREE TAFS SITES THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TUESDAY. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO BEGIN A LITTLE LATER AT KBRO COMPARED TO THE KMFE AND KHRL. TUESDAY SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE IN THE AFTERNOON AS MIXING BEGINS AND A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER WEST TEXAS TIGHTEN THE GRADIENT AND INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE HIGH OVER THE EASTERN GULF COAST. WINDS WILL DECOUPLE AFTER SUNSET WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ROUND OF A MORE WIDESPREAD FOG DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 845 PM CST MON FEB 13 2012/ DISCUSSION...UPDATED OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPS AND HIT THE FOG A HARDER FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. DAYTIME HIGHS DID NOT RECOVER AS MUCH WITH THE STRATUS HANGING IN LONGER THEN EXPECTED. SOME DRY AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE REGION BUT DEWPOINTS ARE EXPECTED TO ONLY LOWER ANOTHER DEGREE OR TWO BEFORE THEY BEGIN TO RECOVER. WITH THIS SAID...SEVERAL LOCATIONS ALREADY REACHED OR FELL BELOW THE EARLIER PROJECTED MINIMUMS. EXPECT SOME ADDITIONAL COOLING BEFORE MIDNIGHT THEN AS STRATUS REFORMS AND SOUTHEAST WINDS RETURN...ALBEIT LIGHT...TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN STEADY OR EVEN RISE A FEW DEGREES BY SUNRISE. INGREDIENTS ARE GOOD FOR FOG FORMATION TONIGHT SO WENT AHEAD AND HIT THE FORECAST GRIDS A LITTLE HARDER. A DRY STABLE AIRMASS ABOVE THE LOW LEVEL INVERSION...HIGH SURFACE MOISTURE AND LIGHT SE WINDS OVERNIGHT SHOULD LEAD TO A DECENT RADIATION FOG EVENT. NOT CONFIDENT TO ISSUE A DENSE FOG ADVISORY AT THIS TIME BUT FOG COULD FORM QUICKLY AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THEN EARLIER FORECAST INDICATES. MIDNIGHT SHIFT COULD HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO ISSUE THE ADVISORY FOR THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 629 PM CST MON FEB 13 2012/ DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. AVIATION...DRY AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE REGION IN WAKE OF A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH THAT MOVED OFF THE COAST EARLIER TODAY. A TEMPORARILY REPRIEVE OF THE STRATUS DECK EARLY THIS EVENING AS THIS DRIER AIR HAS HELPED DISSIPATE THE PERSISTENT STRATUS DECK. THE LAYER JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE HOWEVER REMAINS VERY MOIST FROM THE RECENT RAIN AND WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL QUICKLY SATURATE. FOG AND STRATUS TO STEADILY FORM OVERNIGHT MAINLY AFTER 06Z. CONDITIONS COULD GO STRAIGHT TO IFR...ESPECIALLY CIGS, BUT VSBYS ARE LIKELY TO DROP TO IFR ACROSS MOST AREAS INCLUDING THE REGIONAL AIRPORTS BETWEEN 10 AND 14Z. A SLOW RISE OF CIGS IS FORECAST AFTER 15Z WITH MVFR CIGS MOST OF THE DAY WITH SOME BREAKS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 150 PM CST MON FEB 13 2012/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...RAIN CHANCES ARE ESSENTIALLY OVER AND WERE ELIMINATED FROM THE SHORT TERM FORECAST EXCEPT FOR MINIMAL FIVE PERCENTS NEAR THE COAST AND OVER THE NEAR SHORE MARINE. A WEAK BOUNDARY IS ANALYZED ACROSS THE MID VALLEY WHERE A SLIGHT TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT DISCONTINUITY IS PRESENT. THE MAIN ISSUE TONIGHT WILL BE FOG. CURRENT WEST WINDS WILL DIE OFF TONIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE FADES TO THE EAST AND BEFORE LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS UPSTREAM IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. LOW CEILINGS WILL BE THE BIGGER THREAT SOUTH AND EAST...WHILE FOG WILL BE MORE PREVALENT AND THICKER IN THE MID AND UPPER VALLEY...ENHANCED BY BETTER CLEARING OF THE SKY LATE TODAY AND ASSOCIATED RADIATIONAL COOLING EFFECTS. INDEED...LIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS MAY SET UP AFTER MIDNIGHT...KEEPING LOW CLOUDS GOING ALONG THE COAST. TEMPS INLAND WILL REBOUND TONIGHT...AS WILL THOSE CLOSER TO THE COAST ALBEIT NOT QUITE AS MUCH. LOOKING FOR LOWER TO MID 50S INLAND TO LOWER 60S ALONG THE COAST. PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ARE EXPECTED OVER MOST AREAS TOMORROW...THOUGH MOSTLY CLOUDY WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL APPROACH 80 INLAND BUT WILL BE HELD DOWN IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S ALONG THE COAST...WITH CLOUDINESS PLAYING A ROLE. ONLY A WEAK SOUTHEAST RETURN FLOW IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH THE SPECTER OF FOG AGAIN A POSSIBILITY. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPS WILL REACH OR PUSH INTO THE 60S PRETTY MUCH ACROSS THE BOARD. LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...THE NEXT FRONT WILL BE PUSHING THROUGH THE AREA WEDNESDAY MORNING...BEING PUSHED THROUGH TEXAS BY THE MIDLEVEL TROUGH WELL TO THE NORTH. WINDS ALOFT LOCALLY WILL REMAIN FROM THE SOUTHWEST...SO PROGRESSION THROUGH THE REGION WILL BE SLOW...WITH ANY REMNANTS OF THE FRONT STALLING JUST OFF THE COAST. THIS FEATURE WILL MORPH INTO A WEAK COASTAL TROUGH THURSDAY. THIS WILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE MORE CLOUD COVER DURING THE DAY...BUT WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH OVERRUNNING STRENGTH TO YET PRODUCE PRECIPITATION. BETTER OVERRUNNING WILL DEVELOP STARTING THURSDAY AS SFC ONSHORE FLOW INCREASES. THE NEXT MIDLEVEL WAVE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON FRIDAY. MODELS ARE NOTING THAT THE COASTAL TROUGH WILL DEEPEN INTO A COMPLETE SFC LOW DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. WITH WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE ONSHORE FLOW AND UP OUR CHANCE FOR RAIN FRIDAY UNTIL THE LOW EJECTS NORTHEAST DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. THIS SOLUTION IS FASTER THAN YESTERDAY...BUT CONTINUES TO BE A CONSISTENT SOLUTION. TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY WILL JUMP INTO THE 80S AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...BUOYED BY BRIEF LIGHT SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HIGH PRESSURE BEHIND THE FRONT AND CLOUDY CONDITIONS WILL HOLD TEMPS DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND...WITH HIGHS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY STRUGGLING INTO THE 60S. THIS MAY EVEN BE OPTIMISTIC IF THE DEVELOPING SFC LOW DEEPENS FURTHER THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST. MARINE... TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...BUOY 42020 REPORTS SOUTH WINDS AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS...AND THE LATEST WAVE HEIGHT REPORT WAS AROUND EIGHT FEET AND DECREASING EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE GULF IS GOOD UNTIL 3 PM CST...AND THE THINKING NOW IS THAT WAVE HEIGHTS WILL DECREASE TO BELOW SEVEN FEET BY THEN...BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR AS IT WILL BE A CLOSE CALL. OTHERWISE...DOMINATING HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES WILL MOVE FARTHER EAST IN THE SHORT TERM...WITH PRESSURE FALLS UPSTREAM IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS...SETTING UP A MODERATE SOUTHEAST FLOW BY TUESDAY...WITH MODERATE SEAS TO GO WITH IT. EXERCISE CAUTION CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE OFFSHORE TUESDAY NIGHT AS SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS KICK UP A BIT DUE TO DEEPENING UPSTREAM LOW PRESSURE. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MODEST SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT FRONTAL BOUNDARY. RIGHT NOW ADVISORIES ARE NOT ANTICIPATED...REMAINING 15 TO 20 KNOTS. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE WEAK FRONT STALL JUST OFFSHORE. LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ALONG THE REMNANT COASTAL TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE NORTHEAST WINDS LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY...POSSIBLY REACHING ADVISORY CRITERIA LATER FRIDAY. SEAS WILL REMAIN AGITATED 5 TO 7 FEET FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 67/66
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 417 AM CST MON FEB 13 2012 TXZ248>257-141200- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 417 AM CST MON FEB 13 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND AT BOCA CHICA BEACH. WIDESPREAD FOG...SOME POSSIBLY DENSE...MAY DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT AND DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IS LIKELY AT THE LOCAL BEACHES THROUGH THE PERIOD. ANOTHER ROUND OF WIDESPREAD FOG...SOME POSSIBLY DENSE...MAY FORM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-141200- 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- 417 AM CST MON FEB 13 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 0 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE UNTIL NOON TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE POSSIBLE FOR PORTIONS OF THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall generally between 1.5 and 3.5 inches in Brooks County between February 4th and 13th lowered drought intensity from Exceptional (D4) to Extreme (D3) west and still Exceptional (D4) east by the 14th. Further improvements would arrive on the 21st.
Rainfall generally between 1.5 and 3.5 inches in Kenedy County between February 4th and 13th lowered drought intensity from Exceptional (D4) to Extreme (D3) across the south half of the county. Exceptional Drought (D4) remained across the north half, as rainfall deficits remained highest across this region despite the welcome rains. Further improvements would arrive on the 21st.
Rainfall generally between 2 and just under 4 inches across inland Willacy County between February 4th and 13th lowered drought intensity from Exceptional (D4) to Extreme (D3). Additional improvements would arrive on the 21st.
Rainfall generally between 2 and 3 inches across coastal Willacy County between February 4th and 13th lowered drought intensity from Exceptional (D4) to Extreme (D3). Extreme conditions would prevail through month's end. Additional rainfall on the 24th and 25th would not be ample enough to reduce conditions further in a location where annual rainfall is higher than areas farther inland.
Rainfall generally between 2 and 2.5 inches across coastal Cameron County between February 4th and 13th lowered drought intensity from Exceptional (D4) to Extreme (D3). Extreme conditions would prevail through month's end; additional rainfall on the 24th and 25th would not be ample enough to reduce conditions further in a location where annual rainfall is higher than areas farther inland.
Exceptional Drought (D4) would improve to Extreme (D3) across Hidalgo County by Valentine's Day 2012, courtesy of 1.5 to more than 3.5 inches of rain between the 4th and 13th. Additional improvement would occur by the 21st after more rain soaked into the parched soil.
Drought conditions would improve at least one category by Valentine's Day 2012 in Jim Hogg County, courtesy of 1 to more than 3 inches of rain. Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) Drought would improve to Severe (D2) across the southwest corner by the 14th, and all of southern Jim Hogg County by the 21st. Extreme Drought would continue through month's end across the northern half of the county.
Drought conditions would improve from Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4, northeast tip) to Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3, northeast tip) in Starr County following 1.5 to more than 3 inches of rain - in some cases double the entire monthly average - between February 14th and 20th. Additional improvement would take part of Starr County out of critical drought conditions by the 21st as rainfall soaked into previously parched soil.
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, February 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: 368278, 368279, 368280, 368281, 368282, 368283, 368284, 368285.