With little rainfall during the month of March, Ellis, Kaufman, Rains, and Tarrant County were downgraded into severe drought in the March 19th issuance of the US Drought Monitor.
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.
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 FWD wrote it up.
With little rainfall during the month of March, Ellis, Kaufman, Rains, and Tarrant County were downgraded into severe drought in the March 19th issuance of the US Drought Monitor.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 18, 7:14 PM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 814 PM CDT MON MAR 18 2013 .UPDATE... A BAND OF HIGH CLOUDS CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING. THE AWIPS DISTANCE/SPEED TOOL INDICATES THAT THE CIRRUS IS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 60 KNOTS...WHICH SHOULD BRING THE BACK EDGE OF THE CIRRUS EAST OF PARIS TO LAMPASAS LINE BY 06Z. HAVE SENT AN UPDATE TO ADJUST THE CLOUD COVER AND ADJUST THE HOURLY TEMPERATURE/DEW POINT TRENDS. 58 && .AVIATION... /00Z TAFS/ CONCERNS...POSSIBLE MVFR CIGS AT KACT TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH ALL THE TAF SITES WITH NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS PREVAILING THROUGH THE EVENING. OVERNIGHT...THE WINDS WILL BECOME MORE EASTERLY AND MAINTAIN AN EASTERLY COMPONENT THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY ON TUESDAY. AS ANOTHER FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION LATE TOMORROW AFTERNOON...THE WINDS WILL RETURN TO THE NORTHEAST. WIND SPEEDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL MOSTLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW 10-11 KTS. HIGH CLOUDS WILL MAINTAIN A PRESENCE FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD AND THERE COULD BE SOME MVFR CIGS REACHING THE WACO AREA TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE MODELS INDICATE MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF THE NEXT FRONT TOMORROW WITH CIGS BETWEEN 025-035 KFT AFFECTING WACO. MOST OF THE MVFR CIG BASES COULD REMAIN WEST OF KACT WITH A LOW END VFR DECK AROUND 3500 FT MOVING OVER THE AIRPORT IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. FOR NOW WILL MENTION A SCATTERED MVFR CLOUD DECK AROUND 3000 FEET BEGINNING 15Z AT KACT WITH BASES INCREASING TO 3500 FEET DURING THE AFTERNOON. SOME SCT035 MAY ALSO REACH THE DFW TAF SITES TUESDAY AFTERNOON. 82/JLD && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 344 PM CDT MON MAR 18 2013/ WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES AN UPPER TROUGH BECOMING NEGATIVELY TILTED AS IT SWINGS THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...PROVIDING ENERGY FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS EAST OF THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS OCCURRING ALONG THE SAME FRONT THAT EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD INTO CENTRAL TEXAS. SUBSIDENCE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH HAS KEPT THINGS DRY ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. CONTINUED DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING ACROSS ALL OF THE REGION NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT....WITH LOWS IN THE 40S EXPECTED TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS PROGGED TO DEVELOP UPSTREAM TONIGHT ALONG THE WEST COAST...AND PROPAGATE QUICKLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS TEXAS TOMORROW NIGHT. OVERALL MOISTURE MAY BE A BIT LACKING...BUT LIFT WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE SHOWERS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS TUESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY BEING ADVERTISED BY THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE SO AN ISOLATED LIGHTNING STRIKE CANNOT BE RULED OUT. AT THIS TIME WILL LEAVE THE WX MENTIONED AS SHOWERS AS THE CHANCE FOR THUNDER APPEARS TOO LOW TO MENTION. WE WILL THEN BE WATCHING A COUPLE OF FEATURES AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE END OF THIS WEEK. ON THURSDAY...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE QUICKLY EAST FROM THE ROCKIES ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS...SENDING A COLD FRONT SOUTH INTO NORTH TEXAS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE ECMWF IS STILL SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER WITH THE FRONT THAN THE GFS AND PUSHES THE BOUNDARY THROUGH THE ENTIRE AREA BY FRIDAY MORNING. THE GFS ON THE OTHER HAND SLOWS THE FRONT ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY WHILE ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DROPS SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND INTENSIFIES OVER THE PLAINS. THE GFS SOLUTION STILL APPEARS A BIT TOO AGGRESSIVE WITH THE INTENSIFICATION OF THIS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM...AND FOR NOW WILL SIDE A BIT CLOSER TO THE FASTER ECMWF SOLUTION. IF THE FRONT DOES INDEED GET HELD UP AND BECOME QUASI-STATIONARY ON FRIDAY...A BETTER CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WOULD LIKELY OCCUR ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WORKS ITS WAY ACROSS THE PLAINS. EITHER WAY THE HIGHEST POPS WILL LIKELY OCCUR LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH THE BEST CHANCES OVER THE NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES. BEHIND THE FRONT...MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH LOWS IN THE 30S AND HIGHS IN THE 50S ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE REGION FROM LATE IN THE WEEKEND THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. 30 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 46 70 47 68 49 / 0 5 20 5 10 WACO, TX 46 71 46 71 50 / 0 5 30 10 10 PARIS, TX 40 66 42 65 42 / 0 5 10 5 10 DENTON, TX 42 68 42 68 47 / 0 5 10 5 10 MCKINNEY, TX 41 68 42 67 45 / 0 5 10 5 10 DALLAS, TX 46 69 47 68 49 / 0 5 20 5 10 TERRELL, TX 43 69 45 68 47 / 0 5 20 5 10 CORSICANA, TX 46 70 47 69 48 / 0 5 20 5 10 TEMPLE, TX 46 73 48 70 51 / 0 5 30 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 41 69 43 69 49 / 0 5 20 5 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 82/58
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 323 PM CDT MON MAR 18 2013 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-191245- MONTAGUE-COOKE-GRAYSON-FANNIN-LAMAR-YOUNG-JACK-WISE-DENTON-COLLIN- HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-STEPHENS-PALO PINTO-PARKER-TARRANT-DALLAS- ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN-VAN ZANDT-RAINS-EASTLAND-ERATH-HOOD-SOMERVELL- JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-COMANCHE-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE-HILL-NAVARRO- FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN-FALLS-LIMESTONE- LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON- 323 PM CDT MON MAR 18 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. AT THIS TIME...THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS LOW...HOWEVER IF THE FRONT IS SLOWER A MORE SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD MATERIALIZE ACROSS THE REGION FOR FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor the county began the month not in severe drought (D2). However, little rain fell throughout the month and conditions deteriorated into severe drought by the end of the month.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor the county began the month not in severe drought (D2). However, little rain fell throughout the month and conditions deteriorated into severe drought by the end of the month.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor the county began the month not in severe drought (D2). However, little rain fell throughout the month and conditions deteriorated into severe drought by the end of the month.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor the county began the month not in severe drought (D2). However, little rain fell throughout the month and conditions deteriorated into severe drought by the end of the month.
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, March 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: 442063, 442064, 442065, 442066.