Isolated showers moved across the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas during the week, but dropped little in terms of rainfall. Lack of rainfall allowed drought conditions to remain steady in most areas and worsen in some of the hardest hit areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
Isolated showers moved across the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas during the week, but dropped little in terms of rainfall. Lack of rainfall allowed drought conditions to remain steady in most areas and worsen in some of the hardest hit areas.
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 6, 11:13 PM CST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1113 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012
.DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.
&&
.AVIATION...BREEZY SURFACE WINDS NOW SHOULD DIMINISH TO MODERATE
LEVELS OVERNIGHT...WITH CLOUDINESS REMAINING BETWEEN 4000 AND 6000
FEET. TOMORROW...VFR CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED AS STRONG SURFACE
WINDS PREVAIL FOR THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. THESE WINDS
WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 857 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012/
DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST MARINE DISCUSSION BELOW.
MARINE...SEAS WERE NEAR 5 FEET WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS NEAR 16
KNOTS AT BUOY020 THIS EVENING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS
STRONG ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THE WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WILL GO AHEAD AND
ISSUE SCA FOR THE OFFSHORE WATERS AND CONTINUE TO MENTION SCEC FOR
THE BAY WATERS TONIGHT.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 555 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012/
DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.
AVIATION...SATELLITE IMAGES AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATED
SOME MID LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE CWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. CEILINGS
WERE NEAR 4400FT AT KHRL AND KT65 TO NEAR 5000FT AT KBKS. EXPECT
MVFR CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
INCREASES ALLOW LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP AFTER 09Z TONIGHT. CEILINGS
SHOULD IMPROVE AFTER 15Z WEDNESDAY AS STRONGER WINDS ALOFT MIX
DOWN TO THE SURFACE WITH DIURNAL HEATING. EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO
PREVAIL WEDNESDAY WITH A STRONG ONSHORE FLOW PREVAILING.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 256 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012/
SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/A 1039MB HIGH
PRESSURE DOME OVER THE MID ATLANTIC STATES WILL EXTEND SOUTHWEST
INTO AND WEST ALONG THE NORTH GULF COAST...AND ALSO INTO THE NORTH
AND WEST GULF OF MEXICO. THIS FEATURE WILL INTERACT WITH LOWER
PRESSURE INLAND TO THE WEST AND NORTH OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS
TO KEEP THE WIND MACHINE ON IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE LOWER RIO
GRANDE VALLEY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL WITH LITTLE
CHANCE FOR RAIN...LEAVING WINDS AS THE MAIN ACTOR IN THIS SCENE.
ONLY A SLIGHT LET UP IN WINDS IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT...BUT MOISTURE
WILL MOVE ASHORE ENHANCING LOW LEVEL CLOUDINESS AFTER MIDNIGHT AND
ON INTO WEDNESDAY. DESPITE INCREASED CLOUDS AND THUS LESS MIXING
ON WEDNESDAY...THE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN TIGHT WITH PRESSURE FALLS
IN WEST TEXAS IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING MID LEVEL LOW. THUS...
A WIND ADVISORY WILL STILL BE A THREAT.
LONG TERM.../THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/ LONG TERM SENSIBLE WEATHER
WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT OF FUTURE TRACK AND POSITION OF A MID TO
UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH EXPECTED SOMEWHERE OVER THE DESERT
SOUTHWEST OR SOUTHERN ROCKIES THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LOW
CONFIDENCE FORECAST CONTINUES WITH MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUING
TO DIVERGE ON SOLUTIONS. BATTLE OF THE SEASONS WOULD SUGGEST A
WEAKER FRONT BUT STRONG FRONTS DO OCCASIONALLY MAKE THEIR WAY INTO
THE VALLEY IN MARCH. CURRENT THINKING IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE
PREVIOUS FORECAST BUT SLOWS DOWN THE FRONT BY 6 HOURS AND WEAKENS
THE NORTH SURGE. THE FRONT IS NOW EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE RIO GRANDE
RIVER AND SOUTHEAST COAST BY NOON FRIDAY AND CAN SURELY BE DELAYED
EVEN MORE WITH THE MID LEVEL LOW BECOMING TEMPORARILY CUT OFF
FARTHER WEST. POP AND TEMPERATURE FORECAST REMAIN A CHALLENGE
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WERE ADJUSTED UP SLIGHTLY BUT
REMAIN BELOW NORMAL AND CLOSE TO THE GFS GUIDANCE. CHANCE POPS
WERE BROAD BRUSHED WITH UNCERTAINTY IF THE FRONT STALLS ALONG THE
COAST OR JUST OFFSHORE AND THE EVENTUAL APPROACH OF THE MID LEVEL
TROUGH ITSELF. ADDITIONAL UPDATES AND CHANGES ARE EXPECTED IN THE
COMING DAYS.
MARINE...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUOY020 REPORTS
MODERATE SOUTH SOUTHEAST WINDS WITH A WAVE HEIGHT OF 5 FEET EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON. THE KEY THEME THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS WILL BE
WIND. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL INTERACT
WITH DEEPENING LOWER PRESSURE UPSTREAM IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS
AND WEST TEXAS AS AN ADVANCING MID LEVEL LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST
UNITED STATES PRODUCES PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF IT. SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY CONDITIONS WILL BECOME ONGOING BY THIS EVENING DUE TO
PERSISTENT SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS AND SEAS NEAR 7
FEET. WINDS ON THE LAGUNA WILL DECREASE TONIGHT BUT SHOULD BE AT
OR NEAR ADVISORY CRITERIA BY MID MORNING TO MID DAY WEDNESDAY.
THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...ONSHORE FLOW COULD BE WEAKENING LATER
THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE COAST FRIDAY. SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY CONDITIONS TO LINGER INTO THURSDAY AND MAYBE INTO FRIDAY
IF SEAS DO NOT SUBSIDE. COLD FRONT TO MOVE OFFSHORE SOMETIME LATE
FRIDAY MORNING BUT COULD BE DELAYED INTO SATURDAY DEPENDING ON
UPPER LOW POSITION OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. ONCE THE FRONT MOVES
THROUGH STRONG NORTH WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH SEAS MIXING WITH A
SOUTHEAST SWELL. ADVERSE WEATHER IS EXPECTED MUCH OF THE WEEKEND.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY FRIDAY WITH SCATTERED
ACTIVITY THROUGH SUNDAY.
&&
.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST WEDNESDAY FOR GMZ150-155-170-
175.
&&
THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGVHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 910 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012 TXZ248>257-071045- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 910 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND AT BOCA CHICA BEACH THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS CONTINUES AT THE LOCAL BEACHES FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-071045- 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- 910 PM CST TUE MAR 6 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE OFFSHORE WATERS OF THE LOWER TEXAS COAST LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. CASTILLO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. Extreme (D3) conditions remained across much of the county, with a sliver of Severe (D2) drought conditions continuing along the western edge of the county.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county during the week, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. The sliver of Severe (D2) conditions in the SW corner of the county would slide into Extreme (D3) conditions, resulting in much of the county in Extreme (D3) drought. The NE corner of the county remains in Exceptional (D4) drought conditions.
No noticeable change in drought conditions was observed across coastal Willacy County; Extreme (D3) drought conditions continued.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. Drought conditions worsened across much of the county, resulting in the majority of the county in Extreme (D3) drought conditions, except for the far western edge of the county, which remained in Severe (D2) drought.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. Moderate (D1) conditions continued across the western half of the county, while the eastern half of the county remained in Severe (D2) drought conditions.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. Drought conditions worsened across the county, with 90% of the county in extreme (D3) drought conditions. Only the far southern tip remains in severe drought (D2) conditions.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county during the week, drought conditions worsened across the county. The entire county was engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county, no noticeable improvement in drought conditions was detected. Severe (D2) conditions continued across much of the county, with only a slight sliver of Extreme (D3) drought conditions remaining along the western edge of the county.
No noticeable change in drought conditions was observed across coastal Cameron County; Extreme (D3) drought conditions continued.
Despite a few showers dropping light amounts of rain over the county during the week, drought conditions worsened across the county. The entire county was 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, 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: 373233, 373234, 373235, 373236, 373237, 373238, 373239, 373240, 373686, 373687.