By the end of the first week of September, the benefits from rains that fell during the latter part of August and the first week of September began to be felt. A continued surge of deep tropical moisture, allowed for shower and thunderstorm activity to develop across portions of Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
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.
By the end of the first week of September, the benefits from rains that fell during the latter part of August and the first week of September began to be felt. A continued surge of deep tropical moisture, allowed for shower and thunderstorm activity to develop across portions of Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. The eastern sections of the region received between one and three inches of rain fall during early September, with the central and western counties averaging between one and two inches. A few isolated areas received heavier rains, especially over Cameron County. The shower and thunderstorm activity allowed for some improvements in areas where the heaviest rains occurred. Exceptional (D4) drought conditions covered most of Hidalgo County and extended into Starr, Jim Hogg, Brooks, and Willacy counties. The rest of the region was under Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3) drought conditions, with the exception of Zapata County, which was under Moderate (D1) to severe (D2) conditions.
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 Aug 31, 11:34 PM CST, 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1234 AM CDT SUN SEP 1 2013 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...MID LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN A STABLE AND DRY AIR MASS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS PROVIDING VFR CONDITIONS. A WEAK MID LEVEL TROUGH TO MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATE TODAY MAY LEAD TO AN ISOLATED SHOWER OVER THE COASTAL REACHES WITH MOST OF ACTIVITY LIKELY TO BE OFFSHORE. IN ANY CASE THEY WILL BE CIRCUMNAVIGABLE WITH ONLY ONE OR TWO EXPECTED AT MOST. SURFACE WINDS TO INCREASE SLIGHTLY IN THE AFTERNOON WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 647 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013/ DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SUBSIDENCE ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. MODERATE SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL DECREASE AFTER SUNSET AND REMAIN LIGHT OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL INCREASE BY MID MORNING SUNDAY AND BECOME MODERATE WITH GUSTS AROUND 20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 315 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...500MB HEIGHT CENTER REMAINS OVER NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON WITH A RIDGE AXIS ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. A WEAK SHORTWAVE CONTINUES SOUTHWARD ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE AND WILL BE LOCATED ACROSS THE TEXAS COASTAL BEND BY SUNDAY NIGHT. WITH MOISTURE LACKING ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...SHOWERS WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO DEVELOP OVER LAND WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS. WINDS WILL MAINLY BE FROM THE SOUTHEAST WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO... A FEW GUSTS ARE ALSO EXPECTED SUNDAY WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EMERGING INTO NORTHERN TEXAS AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT STRENGTHENS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AROUND NORMAL OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE. LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...TWO FEATURES WILL DOMINATE THE LONGER RANGE CONDITIONS ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TX. THE FIRST IS A 500 MB TROUGH AXIS THAT WILL BE ROTATING AROUND THE EAST SIDE OF THE MEAN RIDGE AXIS CENTERED OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS AND THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. THIS FEATURE WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA ON MON AND TUES AND WILL THEN EXIT THE REGION TO THE WEST ON WED. ALTHOUGH THIS FEATURE WILL HAVE SOMEWHAT LIMITED MOISTURE TO WORK WITH EARLY NEXT WEEK IT MAY ALLOW THE ATMS TO DESTABILIZE ENOUGH TO ALLOW SOME SEA BREEZE CONV TO FIRE. FOLLOWING ON THE HEELS OF THIS FEATURE...DEEPER TROPICAL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE NOW LOCATED OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CARIB WILL START TO SPREAD WEST ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEX AND WILL EDGE INTO DEEP SOUTH TX DURING THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE PRODUCE BY DAYTIME HEATING AND THE AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES WILL LIKELY PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT TO HELP INITIATE MORE CONV AS THE MOISTURE LEVELS INCREASE. THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS HAS BOOSTED UP THE POPS NEXT WEEK WHILE THE ECMWF IS MORE SCEPTICAL OF SERIOUS POPS WITH THE MODEL PLACING THE BULK OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE VALUES TO OUR SOUTH DUE TO A LITTLE STRONGER MID LEVEL RIDGING ANTICIPATED BY THE MODEL. OPTED TO GO WITH A BLEND OF THE GFS AND ECMWF POPS FOR THE EXTENDED RANGE PERIOD. WITH THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS AND THE DEEPER TROPICAL MOISTURE ADVECTING UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST EXPECT THE HIGH TEMPS TO RELAX A FEW DEGREES DUE TO THE DECREASING 1000-500 MB THICKNESSES AND THE INCREASING CLD COVER. LEANED TOWARDS THE SLIGHTLY COOLER GFS MEX TEMPS. MODEL TO MODEL CONSISTENCY IS A LITTLE WORSE TODAY VERSUS YESTERDAY DUE TO THE SOUTHWARD SHIFT OF THE TROPICAL MOISTURE ADVECTION ADVERTISED BY THE ECMWF. RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY WITH THE GFS MEX MOS TEMPS AND POPS IS STILL PRETTY GOOD. OVERALL FORECAST CONFIDENCE REMAINS ABOVE AVERAGE BUT A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE CONFIDENCE WITH YESTERDAYS MODEL RUNS. THE TROPICAL WAVE IN THE CARIB SEA HEADING THIS WAY IS NOT BEING DISCUSSED BY NHC AND LONGER RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE DOES NOT SHOW ANY CLOSED SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING FROM THIS FEATURE. SO THE TROPICAL CONCERNS WITH THIS APPROACHING SYSTEM APPEAR NIL AT THIS TIME. MARINE...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...SEAS WERE NEAR 1 FOOT WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 6 KNOTS AT BUOY020 EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO CONTINUES TO DOMINATE. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...BROAD SURFACE HIGH PREESURE WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE GULF COAST REGION. THIS WILL MAINTAIN A FAIRLY WEAK PGF WITH A LIGHT TO MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUING INTO NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP BOTH THE WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SCA LEVELS. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 59/51
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 432 AM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 TXZ248>257-010945- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 432 AM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-010945- 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- 432 AM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE LAGUNA MADRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
Little change in drought conditions occurred during much of the month across Zapata County. The western two thirds of the county remained in Moderate (D1) drought, while the eastern third maintained Severe (D2) drought conditions.
Despite some rain falling during the first week of September, little change was noticed in drought conditions across Brooks County. Much of the county remained engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions, with southern quarter of the county covered in Exceptional (D4) drought conditions.
Some rain fell almost every day from the 1st through the 16th across portions of Hidalgo County. During the time period, the ASOS at McAllen Miller International Airport recorded 5.45 inches. Benefits from this rain would not be felt until later in the month. Exceptional (D4) drought conditions continued to engulf the county.
Extreme (D3) drought conditions prevailed across much of Kenedy County during the first week of September. The SW corner of the county was engulfed in Exceptional (D4) drought conditions.
The benefits from showers and thunderstorms during the first half of September was felt little through the 16th of the month. Much of the county was engulfed by Extreme (D3) drought conditions. A swath of Exceptional (D4) drought conditions covered much of the western half of the county.
Rain fell nearly every day across portions of Willacy County during the first half of September. Despite this rainfall little change was noted in drought conditions across coastal Willacy County, with the entire area engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Rain fell nearly every day during the first week of September across Cameron County. Total accumulations varied across the county, the ASOS at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport recorded 3.9 inches of rain, while the ASOS at Valley International Airport in Harlingen measured only 1.61 inches. Regardless, this beneficial rainfall allowed for improvement in drought conditions. The entirety of Cameron County improved to Extreme (D3) drought conditions, wiping away Exceptional (D4) drought conditions.
Rain fell almost every day across portions of coastal Cameron County. Despite this rainfall, little change was noted in drought conditions across coastal Cameron County, with the entire area engulfed in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
Much of Jim Hogg County during the first week of September was encompassed by Exceptional (D4) drought conditions that were painted from the SE corner through much of the middle of the county. The Exceptional (D4) drought conditions were surrounded by Extreme (D3) drought conditions and small slivers of Severe (D2) drought conditions on the far northern and western borders.
Exceptional (D4) drought conditions reigned over much of Starr County during the first week of September, with only the western third of the county experiencing Extreme (D3) drought conditions.
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, September 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: 477659, 477662, 477663, 477664, 477665, 477666, 477667, 477668, 477660, 477661.