Texas, 2012Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 2012
September 1 to 30, 2012 · NWS EWX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches. Fire danger was low to moderate and Edwards, Karnes, and Val Verde counties had burn bans in effect. The Texas Crop and Weather Report issued by Texas A & M Agricultural reported that cattle still needed supplemental feed and hay. Area lakes and reservoirs continued below normal pool elevations. Lake Travis was around 46 feet below normal and Medina Lake 64 feet below. The seven day stream flow average across the Lower Colorado and Rio Grande River basins was below normal. The Edwards Aquifer was 12.9 feet below normal. Kerrville was in Stage 1 water restrictions.
What forecasters said that day
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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 10:34 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 10:34 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1134 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012
.DISCUSSION...
SEE AVIATION FOR THE 06Z TAF DISCUSSION.
&&
.AVIATION...
CONVECTION HAS ENDED BUT A REPEAT PERFORMANCE IS EXPECTED SATURDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...SO HAVE INCLUDED PRO30 GROUPS FOR THE I-35
TERMINALS. OUTFLOWS FROM CONVECTION ALONG THE SEA-BREEZE BOUNDARY
WILL PRODUCE GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 KTS. THE 00Z NAM X-SECTIONS AND 12Z
CIRA WRF SIMULATED LOW CLOUD PRODUCT INDICATE STRATUS FORMATION
OVERNIGHT WITH MVFR CIGS MOVING INTO THE I-35 TERMINALS AROUND
10Z...KDRT AROUND 14Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL BY 16Z. SFC
WINDS OVERNIGHT WILL BE SE AT 5 TO 8 KTS INCREASING TO 10 TO 15
KTS SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 858 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012/
DISCUSSION...
CONTINUED TRENDS WITH ONGOING FORECASTS. WEAKNESS IN THE HEIGHT
FIELD FROM 700 TO 300 HPA ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS IS FORECAST
TO MOVE WEST TO THE BIG BEND AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AND
WEAKEN. CONTINUED TREND OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. SOME OF
THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG WINDS GUSTS OF 30 TO
40 MPH ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATE SATURDAY
AFTERNOON TO THE EARLY EVENING ON SATURDAY. THE POTENTIAL
FOR STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS FROM ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE GREATEST EAST OF A LINE FROM LLANO TO HONDO TO DILLEY.
RIDGING FROM 500 TO 300 HPA IS FORECAST TO INCREASE ACROSS THE
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FROM THE NORTH ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...AND STAY
OVER THE AREA TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. CONTINUED THE TREND OF
ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS SUNDAY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK...WITH HOT AFTERNOONS FOR AN EARLY
SEPTEMBER SETTING.
THE STORM TRACK TO THE NORTH IS STILL FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH IN
THE MID TO LATE PART OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING A DISTURBANCE AND
ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FROM THE
NORTHWEST ON THE WEEKEND OF SEP. 8TH AND 9TH. THIS WILL BRING A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND
TO POSSIBLY MONDAY OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK OF SEP 9TH TO SEP 15TH.
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 344 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012/
DISCUSSION...
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN
AN INCREASINGLY MOIST AIRMASS CREATED BY TROPICAL DEPRESSION ISAAC
MOVING NORTH ACROSS MISSOURI AND A WEAK EASTERLY WAVE MOVING WEST
FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO AS WELL AS CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES BEING
REACHED. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST INTO THIS
EVENING AND RAPIDLY DISSIPATE AROUND SUNSET WITH LOSS OF HEATING.
THE EASTERLY WAVE MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN TEXAS INTO NORTHEASTERN
MEXICO ON SATURDAY. THE FORCING WITH THE WAVE AND DAYTIME HEATING
WILL INTERACT WITH THE MOIST AIRMASS TO GENERATE ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS ON SATURDAY. DOWNBURST WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 TO 50 MPH ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. LIKE TODAY...THE ACTIVITY
WILL WANE WITH SUNSET. THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE BUILDS EAST INTO
TEXAS AS THE EASTERLY WAVE MOVES FURTHER WEST ACROSS MEXICO ON
SUNDAY. MOISTURE LEVELS DECREASE A BIT ON SUNDAY WITH THE
SEABREEZE GENERATING ISOLATED DAYTIME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS EASTERN AREAS. THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE BECOMES FULLY
ESTABLISHED BY LABOR DAY AND PERSISTS THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
NO RAIN IS EXPECTED DUE TO SUBSIDENCE AND A DRY AIRMASS ALOFT.
LATE NEXT WEEK...THE RIDGE ERODES BACK TO THE WEST. THE GFS WANTS
TO BRING A WEAK COLD FRONT SOUTH INTO TEXAS THURSDAY AND STALL IT
JUST NORTH OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS THROUGH FRIDAY. THE ECMWF AND
NOGAPS MODELS KEEP THE FRONT WELL NORTH IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS.
HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR POSSIBILITY SOME STORMS FORMING ALONG
THE FRONT AND DRIFTING SOUTH INTO FAR EASTERN AREAS OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS ON FRIDAY. AS FOR THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...THE GFS
BRINGS IT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ON SATURDAY WHILE THE ECMWF
BRINGS IT ACROSS LATE SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS SHOULD BE OUR
NEXT RAIN MAKER. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE
WITH HIGHS WARMING TO AROUND 100 ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS BY LABOR DAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
AUSTIN CAMP MABRY 76 98 76 99 76 / 10 20 10 10 -
AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTL AIRPORT 74 97 73 97 74 / 10 20 10 10 -
NEW BRAUNFELS MUNI AIRPORT 72 97 73 98 74 / 10 20 10 10 -
BURNET MUNI AIRPORT 75 98 75 98 76 / 10 20 10 10 -
DEL RIO INTL AIRPORT 77 102 78 102 79 / 10 10 10 - -
GEORGETOWN MUNI AIRPORT 76 96 75 98 75 / 10 20 10 10 10
HONDO MUNI AIRPORT 72 98 73 98 74 / 10 10 10 - -
SAN MARCOS MUNI AIRPORT 72 97 74 98 74 / 10 20 10 10 -
LA GRANGE - FAYETTE REGIONAL 77 96 76 97 76 / 20 40 10 20 10
SAN ANTONIO INTL AIRPORT 77 97 77 98 77 / 10 20 10 - -
STINSON MUNI AIRPORT 75 97 75 99 76 / 10 20 10 - -
&&
.EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&
MESOSCALE/AVIATION...13
SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...08
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 31, 7:04 PM CST, 4 hours 56 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
804 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-011200-
LLANO-BURNET-WILLIAMSON-VAL VERDE-EDWARDS-REAL-KERR-BANDERA-
GILLESPIE-KENDALL-BLANCO-HAYS-TRAVIS-BASTROP-LEE-KINNEY-UVALDE-
MEDINA-BEXAR-COMAL-GUADALUPE-CALDWELL-FAYETTE-MAVERICK-ZAVALA-
FRIO-ATASCOSA-WILSON-KARNES-GONZALES-DE WITT-LAVACA-DIMMIT-
804 PM CDT FRI AUG 31 2012
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG WIND
GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATE
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG
THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW WINDS WILL BE GREATEST EAST OF A LINE FROM
LLANO TO HONDO TO DILLEY.
OTHERWISE HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
Drought, Edwards
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Edwards forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 29.983, -100.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches. Fire danger was low to moderate and Edwards, Karnes, and Val Verde counties had burn bans in effect. The Texas Crop and Weather Report issued by Texas A & M Agricultural reported that cattle still needed supplemental feed and hay. Area lakes and reservoirs continued below normal pool elevations. Lake Travis was around 46 feet below normal and Medina Lake 64 feet below. The seven day stream flow average across the Lower Colorado and Rio Grande River basins was below normal. The Edwards Aquifer was 12.9 feet below normal. Kerrville was in Stage 1 water restrictions.
Drought, Karnes
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Karnes forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 28.906, -97.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches. Fire danger was low to moderate and Edwards, Karnes, and Val Verde counties had burn bans in effect. The Texas Crop and Weather Report issued by Texas A & M Agricultural reported that cattle still needed supplemental feed and hay. Area lakes and reservoirs continued below normal pool elevations. Lake Travis was around 46 feet below normal and Medina Lake 64 feet below. The seven day stream flow average across the Lower Colorado and Rio Grande River basins was below normal. The Edwards Aquifer was 12.9 feet below normal. Kerrville was in Stage 1 water restrictions.
Drought, Kerr
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Kerr forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 30.062, -99.350 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches. Fire danger was low to moderate and Edwards, Karnes, and Val Verde counties had burn bans in effect. The Texas Crop and Weather Report issued by Texas A & M Agricultural reported that cattle still needed supplemental feed and hay. Area lakes and reservoirs continued below normal pool elevations. Lake Travis was around 46 feet below normal and Medina Lake 64 feet below. The seven day stream flow average across the Lower Colorado and Rio Grande River basins was below normal. The Edwards Aquifer was 12.9 feet below normal. Kerrville was in Stage 1 water restrictions.
Drought, Val Verde
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Val Verde forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 29.893, -101.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Most of South Central Texas received significant rainfall during the month and only Edwards, Karnes, Kerr, and Val Verde Counties remained in severe drought category (Stage D2) at the end of the month. While much of South Central Texas measured five to eight inches of rain during the month, these four counties generally had less than three inches. Fire danger was low to moderate and Edwards, Karnes, and Val Verde counties had burn bans in effect. The Texas Crop and Weather Report issued by Texas A & M Agricultural reported that cattle still needed supplemental feed and hay. Area lakes and reservoirs continued below normal pool elevations. Lake Travis was around 46 feet below normal and Medina Lake 64 feet below. The seven day stream flow average across the Lower Colorado and Rio Grande River basins was below normal. The Edwards Aquifer was 12.9 feet below normal. Kerrville was in Stage 1 water restrictions.
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Drought in Illinois, September 1 to 30, 2012$982 million · 35 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, September 1, 2012$5.0 million · EF2 · 4 events
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Arkansas, September 1 to 18, 2012$1.8 million · 61 kt wind · 66 events
- Wildfire in Nebraska, September 1 to 4, 20123 injured · $6.0 million · 1 event
- Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 2012$5.0 million · 24 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Utah, September 1 to 2, 2012$1.1 million · 1 in hail · 9 events
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, September 1, 2012$501,000 · 50 kt wind · 3 events
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, September 1, 2012$125,000 · 5 events
- Drought in Iowa, September 1 to 30, 201251 events
- Tornado in Missouri, September 1, 2012$100,000 · EF0 · 1 event
- Drought in Oklahoma, September 1 to 30, 201248 events
- Drought in Arkansas, September 1 to 30, 201245 events
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: 407636, 407637, 407638, 407639.