Light freezing drizzle developed in the late afternoon through early evening hours. There were light accumulations on area bridges and overpasses.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 HGX wrote it up.
Light freezing drizzle developed in the late afternoon through early evening hours. There were light accumulations on area bridges and overpasses.
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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 7, 3:30 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 330 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 .DISCUSSION... LATEST SURFACE OBS SHOW NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA STILL BELOW FREEZING. THIS WOULD INCLUDE BRAZOS...BURLESON AND MADISON COUNTY. HAVE HAD SPOTTY VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION OVER MUCH OF THE AREA WITH TRACE AMOUNTS...LESS THAN ONE HUDREDTH...AT MOST OF THE REPORTING STATIONS. STILL NO REPORTS OF ANY ICING IN THOSE AREAS. TONIGHT...EXPECT NEARLY STEADY TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WITH CONTINUED VERY LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE AT TIMES. CANT RULE OUT A FEW ICY PATCHES IN THOSE FAR NW COUNTIES BUT MOST LOCATIONS SHOULD REMAIN DRY OR ABOVE FREEZING. IF WAS CONFIDENT OF MEASURABLE PRECIP IN THOSE SUBFREEZING AREAS...WOULD CONSIDER A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BUT FOR NOW WILL HAVE MENTION OF FREEZING DRIZZLE CHANCE IN FORECAST BUT NOT GO WITH IT. EVENING SHIFT WILL HAVE TO WATCH TRENDS IN THE RADAR AND SURFACE OBS TO SEE IF ONE MAY BE NEEDED. SO FAR PRECIPITATION HAS CORRELATED WELL WITH LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION...ISENTROPIC LIFT. MODELS WHICH HAVE BEEN SHOWING FAIR AMOUNT OF PRECIP OVER THE GULF HAVE NOT VERIFIED WELL. SUNDAY AND MONDAY...EXPECT A MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES SO ANY PRECIPITATION...WHICH SHOULD REMAIN LIGHT IF ANY...WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WITH REINFORCING COLD AIR SHOULD PASS THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THIS COULD ALLOW BELOW FREEZING CONDITIONS TO COME BACK INTO NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA AGAIN LATE MONDAY NIGHT. OVERALL HAVE SIMILAR SET UP RIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH COLD AIR NEAR THE SURFACE...WARM AIR ALOFT...AND MOISTURE GENERALLY SHALLOW...SO WERE LOOKING FOR PERIOD OF LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES...WITH THE FREEZING DRIZZLE THREAT GENERALLY CONFINED TO FAR NW COUNTIES TONIGHT AND AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT...BUT MOST AREAS DRY OR ABOVE FREEZING. NO REAL WARM UP THROUGH THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST ALTHOUGH GRADUAL WARMING TREND MID TO LATE WEEK WILL ALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURES TO BE IN THE 40S AND THEN 50S WHICH WILL SEEM WARM BY COMPARISON WITH TODAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE NEAR THE LOWEST ON RECORD FOR TODAY. 46 && .MARINE... WINDS HAVE DRASTICALLY DECREASED THIS AFTERNOON AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS CONTINUED TO RELAX. FOR THIS REASON HAVE LET THE SCA EXPIRE. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO VEER TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST TOMORROW AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RAPIDLY PULLS OFF EASTWARDS. ON TUESDAY A REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR WILL MAKE ITS WAY SOUTHWARDS CAUSING ANOTHER INCREASE OF THE WIND SPEED OVER THE WATERS. THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS NOT NEAR AS STRONG AS HAS BEEN ADVERTISED IN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS... BUT STILL WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR WINDS TO REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA TUESDAY. 23 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 31 42 37 46 33 / 30 20 20 30 30 HOUSTON (IAH) 34 43 43 52 41 / 40 30 20 40 40 GALVESTON (GLS) 40 46 49 56 48 / 40 30 30 40 40 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 502 AM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 TXZ163-164-176-177-195>199-210>212-081115- AUSTIN-BRAZOS-BURLESON-COLORADO-GRIMES-HOUSTON-MADISON-MONTGOMERY- TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON- 502 AM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED AREAS OF DRIZZLE AND LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE WILL REDEVELOP LATER TODAY AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND THE FREEZING MARK AT TIMES...SO CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHEN DRIVING OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES AS PRECIPITATION WILL FREEZE UPON CONTACT WHERE FREEZING TEMPERATURES OCCUR. OVERALL COVERAGE AND VERY LIGHT AMOUNTS SHOULD KEEP PROBLEM SPOTS AT A MINIMUM THOUGH AND ADVISORIES ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WE WILL KEEPING AN EYE ON WEATHER CONDITIONS LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WHEN A FEW MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER BRIEF CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN. CHANCES AND AMOUNTS DO APPEAR FAIRLY LOW AT THIS TIME. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED IF FREEZING RAIN OR DRIZZLE SCENARIO BECOMES EVIDENT. TXZ178-179-200-213-214-227-236>238-081115- BRAZORIA-CHAMBERS-FORT BEND-GALVESTON-HARRIS-LIBERTY-MATAGORDA- POLK-SAN JACINTO- 502 AM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. TXZ226-235-081115- JACKSON-WHARTON- 502 AM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN AREA OF DRIZZLE AND LIGHT RAIN WILL BE MOVING NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING. SOME LOCATIONS WILL HAVE TEMPERATURES AT OR JUST BELOW FREEZING INTO MID MORNING. IF ANY OF THIS LIGHT PRECIPITATION MOVES OVER FROZEN SURFACES...MAINLY ELEVATED BRIDGES...IT COULD FREEZE UPON CONTACT. CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHEN DRIVING OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES THIS MORNING. OVERALL COVERAGE AND VERY LIGHT AMOUNTS SHOULD KEEP PROBLEM SPOTS AT A MINIMUM THOUGH AND ADVISORIES ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ABOVE FREEZING DURING THE MID AND LATE MORNING HOURS BRINGING AN END TO THIS BRIEF THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-081115- GALVESTON BAY-MATAGORDA BAY- WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 NM TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT OUT 20 NM- 502 AM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR ELEVATED WINDS AND SEAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ELEVATED WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK AND A COMBINATION OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY OR CAUTION FLAGS WILL BE REQUIRED FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1219 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 TXZ163-176-177-195>198-072030- HOUSTON-MADISON-WALKER-BURLESON-BRAZOS-WASHINGTON-GRIMES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROCKETT...MADISONVILLE...HUNTSVILLE... CALDWELL...LAKE SOMERVILLE...COLLEGE STATION...BRYAN...BRENHAM... NAVASOTA 1219 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 ...PATCHY LIGHT RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SOME SPOTTY LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE OVER AREAS NORTHWEST OF HOUSTON AND THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. ALTHOUGH PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT...WITH TEMPERATURES STILL NEAR FREEZING SOME SPOTS COULD SEE A FEW ICY PATCHES IN AREAS THE PRECIPITATION FALLS.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Light freeing drizzle and sleet was reported near Bellville. There was ice on a bridge in the area on Highway 36.
Light freezing drizzle was reported across portions of Burleson County, especially along Highway 21 from the Caldwell area eastward to the Brazos County line near the Brazos River.
Light freezing drizzle was reported in the Brenham area. There was a light glaze on area roads and the windshields of automobiles.
Light freezing drizzle was reported across portions of Brazos County. Numerous roads were closed due to accumulation of ice, especially in and around Highway 21 from the Bryan area westward to the Brazos River near the Caldwell county line. Several accidents were reported.
Light freezing drizzle caused ice to form along Interstate 10 bridges and overpasses across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2013
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: 489090, 489092, 489094, 489091, 489093.