Early to mid month cool and dry weather, followed by later month warm, humid, but rain free weather wiped out any gains made in early to mid December from steady rains, and Exceptional Drought (D4) spread west into the Upper Valley and Ranchlands to close the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Early to mid month cool and dry weather, followed by later month warm, humid, but rain free weather wiped out any gains made in early to mid December from steady rains, and Exceptional Drought (D4) spread west into the Upper Valley and Ranchlands to close the month.
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 Jan 30, 11:26 PM CST, 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1126 PM CST MON JAN 30 2012 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...MOISTURE REMAINING FROM RAIN YESTERDAY WILL HELP PRODUCE MODERATE FOG ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. FOG NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME DENSE...REMAINING GENERALLY ABOVE 2 SM. CIGS WILL LOWER OVERNIGHT TO AROUND 1500 OVERNIGHT BEFORE RISING EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. WINDS WILL REMAIN L/V OVERNIGHT BEFORE TURNING SOUTHEAST AROUND 10 KNOTS AFTER SUNRISE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 655 PM CST MON JAN 30 2012/ DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. AVIATION...THE 500 MB TROUGH AXIS WILL MOVE NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF DEEP SOUTH TX THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. DRIER AIR WILL START TO MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER TONIGHT AND TUES MORNING ALLOWING THE CEILINGS TO START IMPROVING. HOWEVER UNTIL THEN THE 00Z BRO SOUNDING INDICATES THAT THE OVERALL MOISTURE REMAINS PRETTY DEEP AROUND THE LOWER RGV WHICH WILL ALLOW THE LOW CLDS TO PERSIST ON INTO THE FIRST HALF OF THE 00Z TAF ISSUANCE. WILL GO WITH MVFR/IFR CEILINGS AND VSBYS THROUGH SUNRISE TOMORROW WITH THE CEILINGS IMPROVING TO VFR LEVELS DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE TAF PERIOD. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 100 PM CST MON JAN 30 2012/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...A MID-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY OVER THE MEXICAN STATE OF COAHUILA RIGHT NOW...AND MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS AREAS OF SHOWERS AND LIGHT RAIN ARE DEVELOPING OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN ADVANCE OF THE LOW...A TREND THAT SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE EARLY HOURS OF TONIGHT AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE LONE STAR STATE AND WEAKENS. SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT...BUT DRY WEATHER WILL DEVELOP ON TUESDAY AND LAST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. CLOUDINESS TONIGHT WILL LIMIT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOG FOR THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY .HOWEVER LIGHT FOG IS POSSIBLE. A MORE POTENT FOG EVENT APPEARS MORE LIKELY DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF WEDNESDAY...AS PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES COMBINE WITH LIGHT WINDS AND MOIST SOILS FROM RECENT RAINFALL TO PRODUCE THE FOG. HAVE INDICATED AREAS OF DENSE FOG FOR THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF WEDNESDAY...AND SUCCESSIVE SHIFTS WILL NEED TO WEIGH WHETHER OR NOT TO INDICATE WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG...AND CONSIDER THE ISSUANCE OF A DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR THAT TIME. LONG TERM/WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... AT THE ONSET OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS MOVING NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH THAT UPPER LOW IS NOW PROGGED BY NAM/GFS/ECMWF TO REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE CWA. LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY ONSHORE FLOW WILL INTENSIFY A BIT AS A TROUGH APPROACHES VERY SLOWLY FROM THE NORTHEAST. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NOW LOOK TO BE FAIRLY WARM WITH SCHC/CHC OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS GIVEN THE HEALTHY MOISTURE ADVECTION THAT WILL OCCUR IN THE SOUTHEAST/EASTERLY FLOW. THINGS GET VERY CHALLENGING FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE 12Z GFS SLIDES A 500MB SHORTWAVE ALONG THE FRONT RANGE OF THE ROCKIES FRIDAY...IT CLOSES OFF...AND GETS EJECTED NORTHEASTWARD SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...PROVIDING JUST ENOUGH SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT AND COLD AIR DAMMING ALONG THE ROCKIES TO HELP GET A COLD FRONT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING/SUNDAY MORNING. THE 00Z ECMWF CLOSES THE LOW UP OVER THE PLAINS...AND SETS UP A REX BLOCK OVER THE EASTERN FRONT RANGE WITH A WEAKER FRONTAL PASSAGE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AT THE SURFACE AND A MUCH LESS PROGRESSIVE OVERALL PATTERN. THE 850MB SUPPORT AND ESPECIALLY THE 500MB SUPPORT FOR A FROPA ARE MEAGER AT BEST IN THE CURRENT GUIDANCE. 12Z GFS ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE IS PROVIDING LOW LEVEL WIND SOLUTIONS AT EVERY DIRECTION BUT SOUTHEAST FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH LARGE 500MB HEIGHT SPREAD AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS...SO DOES NOT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONFIDENCE IN A SOLUTION. LOOKING AT THE SOURCE AIRMASS REGION OVER SOUTHERN CANADA AND THE NORTHERN CONUS...DO NOT SEE EXTRAORDINARILY COLD OR DRY AIR IN PLACE...FURTHER LEANING ME TO BELIEVE IT WILL BE A FAIRLY MODEST BOUNDARY AT BEST. SO FOR THE FINAL FORECAST SOLUTION HAVE SLOWED FRONTAL TIMING AND POPS ABOUT 12 HOURS...BRINGING IT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...AND KEPT WINDS AND SEAS ON A BIT OF A LEASH COMPARED TO GUIDANCE. WENT ABOVE MEX MOS ON DAYS 6 AND 7 TO ALLOW FOR BOTH LESS COOL AIR BEHIND THE FRONT AND AT LEAST THE POTENTIAL THAT THE FRONT WONT MAKE IT THIS FAR SOUTH. CONFIDENCE IN DAYS 5 THROUGH 7 IS BELOW AVERAGE. MARINE...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...BUOY 42020 REPORTED EAST- SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 18 KNOTS GUSTING TO AROUND 19 KNOTS WITH SEAS SLIGHTLY OVER 4.5 FEET WITH A PERIOD OF 7 SECONDS AT 12 CST/18 UTC. GENERALLY MODERATE WINDS AND SEAS WILL PREVAIL ALONG THE LOWER TEXAS COAST AS HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO CONTINUES TO INTERACT WITH LOW PRESSURE OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE AND TEXAS PANHANDLE. SMALL CRAFT WILL LIKELY NEED TO EXERCISE CAUTION FOR PORTIONS OF THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY THROUGH THE PERIOD. MARINE...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. GENERALLY LIGHT TO MODERATE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WITH MODERATE SEAS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE AT LEAST SOME CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOONS. FRIDAY SOUTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THIS COLD FRONT MAY MOVE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT SHIFTING WINDS TO THE NORTHWEST AND BUILDING TO ROUGH SEAS. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE 64/51
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 503 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012 TXZ248>257-311115- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 503 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS AT AREA BEACHES TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. AN ELEVATED RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS IS EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-311115- 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- 503 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012 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.
3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Exceptional (D4) Drought spread across all of Hidalgo County by the end of January, after less than a quarter inch of rain fell - well below monthly averages closer to two inches. Temperatures ranking in the top 5 in the past 80 years at McAllen contributed to additional drying.
Exceptional (D4) Drought spread across eastern Jim Hogg County by the end of January, after less than a quarter inch of rain fell - well below monthly averages closer to one and one half inch.
Exceptional (D4) Drought spread across eastern Starr County by the end of January, after less than a quarter inch of rain fell - well below monthly averages closer to one and one half inch. Temperatures at Falcon Dam (6th warmest) and Rio Grande City (17th warmest) contributed to the resurgence of worsening drought.
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, January 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: 363728, 363729, 363730.