Severe thunderstorms that developed over the western portion of Deep South Texas moved north along the Rio Grande into southern portions of Webb County during the early evening hours of March 30th.
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.
Severe thunderstorms that developed over the western portion of Deep South Texas moved north along the Rio Grande into southern portions of Webb County during the early evening hours of March 30th.
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 30, 5:29 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 629 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012 .DISCUSSION...SEE AVIATION SECTION BELOW. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS CURRENTLY ACROSS S TX WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. STORMS DVLPG IN MEX ARE MOVG E AND MAY AFFECT LRD TAF SITE LATER THIS EVENING BUT THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO HOW FAR E THE STORMS MOVE. FOR NOW CONFIDENCE IS LOW FARTHER E...SO KEPT MENTION OF TSRA OUT OF ALI...CRP AND VCT. OVERNIGHT FOG AND STRATUS CAN BE EXPECTED TO DVLP. EXPECTING GENERALLY MVFR CIGS/VSBYS FOR LRD...CRP AND ALI. HOWEVER...VCT IS MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT AND INTO EARLY SAT MORNING. ALTHOUGH IFR CONDITIONS DUE TO FOG ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR THE REST OF S TX. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY MID MORNING ON SAT AND CONTINUING THROUGH SAT AFTERNOON. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 329 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012/ SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM IN THE SHORT TERM IS FIGURING OUT HOW FAR EAST CONVECTION DEVELOPING IN OLD MEXICO WILL MOVE. MODELS DIFFER...EVEN 4 KM MODELS (SPC AND TEXAS TECH). PRETTY OBVIOUS FROM VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY THAT THINGS ARE A BIT MORE STABLE OVER SOUTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON THAN YESTERDAY WITH MCS MOVING ACROSS OVERNIGHT. TECH 4 KM MODEL HAS CONVECTION GETTING INTO WEBB COUNTY AND DYING OUT...WHILE SPC MOVES CONVECTION ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AREAS TONIGHT AND INTO THE GULFMEX BY 06Z (SEEMS TOO FAST AT THIS TIME). COARSER RESOLUTION MODEL KEEPS MOST CONVECTION OUT OF AREA. MODEST MID LEVEL THETA-E AIR RESIDES NEAR THE RIO GRANDE THIS EVENING THEN SHIFTS MORE TO THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT AND TOWARD THE GULFMEX. WHAT THIS FORECAST PACKAGE HAS IS THAT CONVECTION WILL PROBABLY GET INTO WEBB COUNTY BUT AM UNSURE AFTER THAT (CONSIDERING HOW SATELLITE LOOKS RIGHT NOW)...SO WILL HAVE MODERATE CHANCE POPS WEBB COUNTY AND DIMINISH THEM EAST...BUT WILL EVEN INCLUDE A SLIGHT CHANCE INTO THE GULF WATERS (SPC MODEL HAS BEEN A BIT BETTER I AM TOLD ON THESE THINGS LATELY). ALSO...WILL LEAN A BIT MORE TOWARD THE SPC (ALTHOUGH UNCERTAINTY REMAINS) SINCE THERE IS ANOTHER VORT LOBE PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS WHICH COULD ASSIST IN KEEPING CONVECTION GOING A BIT LONGER. AFTER TONIGHT...MAIN IMPACTS OF UPPER LOW SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE MORE TOWARD THE EAST...AND THERE IS SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR OVER THE REGION. HOWEVER...ENOUGH DAYTIME HEATING AND SUFFICIENT MOISTURE OVER THE SOUTHERN INLAND AREAS LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO SATURDAY NIGHT MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT A MENTION OF CONVECTION (SO HAVE DONE SO). OTHER THAN THAT...SOME PATCHY FOG OVER THE VICTORIA AREA/NORTHERN COASTAL BEND AGAIN OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. NO REAL ISSUES BEYOND THAT...AS WINDS REMAIN LIGHT TO MODERATE. TEMPERATURES REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. HIGHS ON SATURDAY LOOK WARM ESPECIALLY OUT WEST WHERE 25-26C 850MB TEMPS ARE PROGGED. GENERALLY STAYING MORE ON THE WARM SIDE OF GUIDANCE. MARINE (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...EXPECT GENERALLY WEAK TO MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW. CONVECTION SHOULD MAINLY BE LIMITED TO THE SOUTHERN AREAS...IF THAT...TONIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FEET. LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)...LINGERING CHANCE OF CONVECTION TO EXIST DURING THE DAY AS ECMWF...AND TO AN EXTENT THE CMC...PROG POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION OCCURRING ACROSS THE AREA AND WITH ELEVATED INSTABILITY IT MAY BE ENOUGH TO INITIATE ISOLATED CONVECTION. GFS IS FASTER WITH UPPER DISTURBANCE AND KEEPS MOST VORT ADVECTION NEGATIVE AND THUS CWA DRY. FOR NOW WILL RAISE POPS UP TO A SILENT 10 WITH NO MENTION OF PRECIP IN FORECAST. MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE AFTER THIS WEEKEND IS COLD FRONT SLATED TO AFFECT REGION EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. DISCREPANCIES EXIST BETWEEN MEDIUM RANGE MODELS WITH GFS BRINGING FRONT THROUGH CWA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING WHILE ECMWF IS SLOWER WITH UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICAL INFLUENCE AND STALLS FRONT ACROSS TO JUST NORTH OF CWA. GFS HAS BEEN MORE CONSISTENT THAN ECMWF WITH RECENT RUNS AND CMC IS CLOSER TO THE GFS...THUS FOR NOW WILL LEAN TOWARDS GFS/CMC BLEND AND BRING FRONT THROUGH THE AREA. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH BEST CHANCES BEING ACROSS COASTAL PLAINS AND VICTORIA REGION WHERE BEST MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY ARE PROG TO EXIST. ATMOSPHERE SHOULD DRY OUT SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER FROPA WITH COOLER TEMPS LIKELY. HOWEVER...IF ECMWF VERIFIES MOISTURE THEN PRECIP CHANCES MAY PERSIST THROUGH MID WEEK. FOR THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WORK WEEK ALL GUIDANCE CURRENTLY INDICATES THAT MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL BRIEFLY BUILD INTO THE REGION WITH SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE TROFS IN THE MID LEVEL FLOW AFFECTING WESTERN ZONES BY VERY LATE IN THE FORECAST. FOR NOW WILL LEAVE LAST SEVERAL PERIODS OF THE FORECAST DRY. TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY ARE LIKELY TO BE VERY WARM TO HOT ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS WESTERN ZONES WHERE DIURNAL SURFACE TROUGH MAY DEVELOP. TEMPS FOR THE REST OF THE EXTENDED WILL BE CONTINGENT UPON WHETHER OR NOT SAID COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. MEX GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO FLIP/FLOP EACH RUN WITH HOW WARM/COOL IT WANTS TO BE BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. DID NOT GO AS WARM AS MEX FOR SOME OF THE EXTENDED PERIODS WITH OFFICIAL FORECAST REFLECTING ONLY SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPS THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST PACKAGE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CORPUS CHRISTI 68 88 69 88 71 / 20 20 10 10 10 VICTORIA 68 87 68 87 70 / 10 10 10 10 10 LAREDO 69 100 72 97 71 / 40 20 20 10 10 ALICE 66 92 68 91 70 / 30 30 20 10 10 ROCKPORT 70 83 71 82 71 / 20 10 10 10 10 COTULLA 65 96 68 94 68 / 20 10 10 10 10 KINGSVILLE 65 89 68 90 71 / 20 30 10 10 10 NAVY CORPUS 70 82 70 83 72 / 20 20 10 10 10 && .CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && TT/89...SHORT TERM TE/81...AVIATION
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 611 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012 GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-311115- 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- 611 AM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING...MAINLY BETWEEN STATE HIGHWAY 281 AND STATE HIGHWAY 16 (ACROSS THE WESTERN INLAND COASTAL PLAINS AND BRUSH COUNTRY). THE MOST INTENSE STORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO A HIGHLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS TONIGHT FURNISHING THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT...MAINLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 16 TO THE RIO GRANDE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY HERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE COASTAL BEND AND VICTORIA CROSSROADS REGION MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS IN SUPPORT OF OBTAINING INFORMATION OF ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE WEATHER MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND PERHAPS AGAIN TONIGHT ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS. SCC/TB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 709 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012 TXZ239-310115- WEBB- 709 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AFFECTING WEBB COUNTY... AT 707 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF EL CENIZO...OR 16 MILES NORTH OF SAN YGNACIO...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN WEBB COUNTY...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. TE
The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 200 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:41 UTC.
3 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail almost to tennis ball size occurred in the western portions of the community of Rio Bravo. Damage to cars and broken windshields were reported.
Golf ball sized hail reported in the community of Rio Bravo.
Funnel cloud was sighted near Mangana-Hein Road and Highway 83 south of Laredo. Report relayed to Laredo Police Department.
Golf ball hail occurred at the Laredo Community College South Campus on the extreme south 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: 368878, 368876, 368875, 368877.