An upper level disturbance over Mexico combined with an unstable air mass over the South Texas to provide a couple of areas of severe thunderstorms on March 29th. Severe thunderstorms developed over the Coastal Bend along the sea-breeze boundary.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
An upper level disturbance over Mexico combined with an unstable air mass over the South Texas to provide a couple of areas of severe thunderstorms on March 29th. Severe thunderstorms developed over the Coastal Bend along the sea-breeze boundary. More severe thunderstorms occurred around the city of Laredo.
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 29, 2:33 PM CST, 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 333 PM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)...ATMOSPHERE WAS PRETTY WORKED OVER TODAY FROM LAST NIGHT/S CONVECTION WITH REMNANT MCV NOTED ACROSS HGX CWA. LOW CLOUD DECK HAS BEEN SLOW TO MIX OUT ACROSS BRUSH COUNTRY...BUT IS FINALLY STARTING TO DO SO AND ALL IN ALL ATMOSPHERE IS GRADUALLY BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE AGAIN. PATTERN LOOKS MORE LIKE MAY THAN MARCH WITH VORT MAXES TRAVERSING ACROSS SOUTH TX IN THE MID LEVEL FLOW PRODUCING CONTINUING CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. OVER THE PAST HOUR CONVECTION HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIRE ALONG THE SEABREEZE AS IT MOVES INLAND. THE COMBINATION OF AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND AN AXIS OF HIGHER PWATS DRAPED FROM SW TO NE ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAINS SHOULD ALLOW ADDITIONAL CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SEABREEZE THROUGH EARLY EVENING. ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE WEST WHERE CONVECTION IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN OF OLD MEX. HIRES MODELS PROVIDE A VARIETY OF OUTPUT WITH 4KM WRF DEVELOPING SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION ACROSS MUCH OF S TX THIS EVENING WHILE HRRR IS MORE OF THE ISOLATED VARIETY. HRRR INITIALIZED MUCH BETTER THAN 4KM WRF SO HAVE LEANED MORE TOWARDS ITS OUTPUT FOR TONIGHT. TRIMMED POPS SOME FOR TONIGHT OUT WEST BUT NOT AS DRY AS HRRR GIVEN UNCERTAINTY. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP MAY BRIEFLY PULSE TO STRONG/SEVERE LEVELS BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WX IS NOT CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED. TOMORROW S TX IS PROG TO BE IN BETWEEN VORT MAXES AND SHOULD GENERALLY BE DRY ASIDE FROM ISOLATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING FROM DAYTIME MIXING AND INTERACTIONS WITH THE SEABREEZE. STRONGER VORT MAX PROG TO APPROACH AREA FRI NIGHT WITH GOOD PVA...INSTABILITY...AND MOISTURE TO EXIST FOR MCS FEATURE TO POSSIBLY DEVELOP ALONG RIO GRANDE AND MOVE WEST THROUGH THE NIGHT. STRONG WINDS AND HAIL MAY OCCUR IF MCS DEVELOPS BUT FINER DETAILS TO COME IN FUTURE FORECASTS. TEMPS THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WILL BE DEPENDENT ON IF THEY BECOME RAIN COOLED AND HOW MUCH CLOUD COVER DEVELOPS FROM CONVECTION. FOR NOW HAVE GONE GENERALLY WITH A MOS BLEND. && .LONG TERM (SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...EXPECT NOCTURNAL MCS TO BE MOVING OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. HAVE ADDED 20 POPS TO THE FAR EAST TO ACCOUNT FOR TIMING OF THE CONVECTION POSSIBLY LASTING INTO THE SATURDAY MORNING TIME PERIOD. EXPECT TIMING WILL BE SIMILAR TO THE CONVECTION THE PAST TWO NIGHTS. BY SATURDAY NIGHT LOOKS LIKE ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SIERRA MADRE ARE POSSIBLE...THE MOVEMENT SHOULD BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN OTHER NIGHTS HAVE BEEN AND WILL BE. CORFIDI VECTORS AND THICKNESS CONTOURS WOULD INDICATE AN ALMOST DUE SOUTH MOVEMENT SO HAVE OPTED TO TAKE PRECIP WORDING OUT OF THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. COLD FRONT STILL ON TRACK FOR MONDAY...WITH RATHER IMPRESSIVE MODEL AGREEMENT FOR FOUR DAYS OUT. TIMING IS CLOSER TO THE SLOWER ECMWF FROM YDAY RUNS AND HAVE STUCK MAINLY WITH THE ECMWF FOR THE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON. PRECIP CHANCES DO NOT LOOK GREAT AT THIS TIME...WITH SLIGHT CHANCES IN THE EAST. BEHIND THE FRONT LOOK FOR A MODEST COOL DOWN OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH DRIER CONDITIONS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CORPUS CHRISTI 67 86 68 86 68 / 20 20 30 20 10 VICTORIA 67 84 67 84 68 / 30 20 20 20 10 LAREDO 68 92 69 93 69 / 40 20 50 10 10 ALICE 68 89 66 89 68 / 30 20 40 10 10 ROCKPORT 69 82 69 80 70 / 20 20 20 20 10 COTULLA 67 86 65 88 67 / 40 20 50 10 10 KINGSVILLE 68 87 68 88 67 / 30 20 30 20 10 NAVY CORPUS 71 81 68 82 69 / 20 20 20 20 10 && .CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && SHORT TERM...HART/79 LONG TERM...ZABEL/83
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 547 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-301100- 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- 547 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST OVER THE SOUTHERN COASTAL BEND DURING EARLY MORNING HOURS. ONE OR TWO STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG WITH WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAY FLAIR UP AGAIN THIS EVENING OVER THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS AND THEN MAY PUSH INTO THE BRUSH COUNTRY LATER IN THE NIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS FRIDAY...AND MAINLY ACROSS THE BRUSH COUNTRY SATURDAY NIGHT. CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES CAN BE EXPECTED. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. SCC/TB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 1037 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 TXZ234-243-245>247-291615- ARANSAS-CALHOUN-NUECES-REFUGIO-VICTORIA- 1037 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE AFFECTING ARANSAS...CALHOUN...NUECES... REFUGIO AND VICTORIA COUNTIES... AT 1034 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM MCFADDIN TO 11 MILES NORTH OF HOLIDAY BEACH TO ROCKPORT...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PLACEDO TO 11 MILES NORTH OF HOLIDAY BEACH TO ROCKPORT...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR... TIVOLI BY 1050 AM CDT. BLOOMINGTON BY 1055 AM CDT. 5 MILES SOUTH OF PLACEDO BY 1110 AM CDT. LONG MOTT BY 1115 AM CDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 1135 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 TXZ234-245>247-291730- ARANSAS-CALHOUN-REFUGIO-VICTORIA- 1135 AM CDT THU MAR 29 2012 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE AFFECTING ARANSAS...CALHOUN...REFUGIO AND VICTORIA COUNTIES... AT 1131 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM KAMAY TO LONG MOTT TO 13 MILES SOUTH OF SEADRIFT...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM PLACEDO TO LONG MOTT TO 13 MILES SOUTH OF SEADRIFT...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR... SEADRIFT BY 1145 AM CDT. PORT LAVACA BY 1205 PM CDT. POINT COMFORT BY 1220 PM CDT. MAGNOLIA BEACH BY 1225 PM CDT. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
404 PM CDT THU MAR 29 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0402 PM HAIL 2 NW CORPUS CHRISTI 27.79N 97.52W
03/29/2012 E0.75 INCH NUECES TX TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
HARTThe Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 6 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:25 UTC.
10 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported quarter sized hail at the Stripes Convenience Store near Interstate 37.
Wind gusts to 60 mph west of Robstown near County Road 83 and Highway 44.
Public reported quarter sized hail at the intersection of Highway 44 and 77 in Robstown.
Quarter sized hail occurred just west of the Fairgrounds.
Public reported golf ball sized hail just west of Robstown.
Telephone pole snapped at County Road 79 and Old Robstown Road.
Pea to quarter sized hail occurred in the city of Beeville.
Spotter reported quarter sized hail in the northeast side of the city of Beeville.
Quarter sized hail was reported near the intersection of Del Mar Boulevard and Interstate 35.
A spotter reported quarter sized hail at the intersection of Lindenwood and Del Mar.
Half dollar sized hail occurred in the western part of the community of Rio Bravo.
Quarter sized hail reported at the intersection of Highway 359 and Loop 20 on the southeast side of Laredo.
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, March 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: 368462, 368453, 368461, 368460, 368459, 368452, 368458, 368457, 368456, 368455, 371039, 368454.