The final week of September brought one last blast of rain to Starr and Zapata counties. Between one and three inches of rain fell across western Zapata County and into southwest Starr County as an upper level disturbance and fading cold front tapped into tropical moisture and produced thunderstorms.
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 BRO wrote it up.
The final week of September brought one last blast of rain to Starr and Zapata counties. Between one and three inches of rain fell across western Zapata County and into southwest Starr County as an upper level disturbance and fading cold front tapped into tropical moisture and produced thunderstorms. This rain combined with the benefits of rain that fell earlier in the month, allowed most of the area to continue enjoying improved drought 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 Sep 23, 5:34 PM CST, 6 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 634 PM CDT MON SEP 23 2013 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...FINE AVIATION CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH VFR HIGHLY LIKELY. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO VEER AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHWEST GULF OF MEXICO MOVES SLOWLY NORTHEAST. SKIES WILL REMAIN CLEAR AS THE DRY OFFSHORE FLOW REMAINS REINFORCED BY THE LOW. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 306 PM CDT MON SEP 23 2013/ SHORT TERM /NOW THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...THE SURFACE LOW OFFSHORE OF THE TX COASTLINE WILL REMAIN QUASI- STATIONARY THROUGHOUT THE NEAR TERM AND WILL THEN START TO DRIFT NORTHEAST AND WILL WEAKEN TUESDAY. MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD STEADILY OVER TX THROUGHOUT THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH PRETTY LOW MOISTURE LEVELS PREVAILING DUE TO THE W-NW FLOW DOMINANT AT MOST LEVELS OF THE ATMS. THIS WILL MAINTAIN GENERALLY CLEAR AND RAIN FREE CONDITIONS THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. THE SUNNIER CONDITIONS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO WARM BACK UP CLOSER TO CLIMO FOR LATE SEPTEMBER. BOTH THE 12Z MAV AND MET FORECAST TEMPS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT FOR MAX AND MIN TEMPS. THE 00Z ECMWF GUIDANCE IS ALSO REASONABLY CLOSE TO THE 12Z MAV AND MET NUMBERS. SO WILL GO CLOSE TO A MODEL CONSENSUS FOR TEMPS IN THE SHORT TERM. AS THE SURFACE LOW OVER THE NW GULF SHIFTS A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE REGION THE WIND REGIME OVER THE AREA WILL SLACKEN WHICH WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR AN AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE TOMORROW. MAV AND MET GUIDANCE FOR BKS INDICATES THAT THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR PATCHY MORNING FOG ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES AND WILL INCLUDE THIS NORTH OF THE RGV. DO NOT EXPECT ANY PROBLEMS WITH DENSE FOG AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE LIMITED MOISTURE LEVELS. LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...GFS/ECMWF IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE MID LEVEL PATTERN WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN TEXAS AND A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE TO THE EAST...ALLOWING RETURN FLOW TO SET UP AND START DRAWING HIGHER MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO BEGINNING THURSDAY. PWATS INCREASE FROM 1.7 INCHES THURSDAY TO 2.1 INCHES FRIDAY. A FEW SHOWERS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND. MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE THIS WEEKEND AS THE TROUGH EMERGES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. GFS SHOWS STRONGER RIDGING SOUTH AND THUS A WEAKER TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS WHEREAS THE ECMWF SHOWS WEAKER RIDGING AND A STRONGER TROUGH. BOTH MODELS ADVERTISE A COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL TEXAS SUNDAY WITH THE GFS SLOWING DOWN OR STALLING TO THE NORTH WITH THE ECMWF PUSHING IT THROUGH SUNDAY. DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE AND UNCERTAINTY...WILL BROADBRUSH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE AREA UNTIL CONFIDENCE INCREASES. WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW...TEMPERATURES WILL INCREASE AND WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK. CLOUDS AND A POSSIBLE FRONT WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES A LITTLE COOLER THIS WEEKEND. MARINE /NOW THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...THE PGF OVER THE LOWER TX COASTLINE WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN OVER THE SHORT TERM WHICH WILL ALLOW BOTH THE WINDS AND SEAS TO DIMINISH. A QUICK LOOK AT BEACH CAMS INDICATES THAT THE SURF CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE IMPROVING SLOWLY BUT SURELY. SO HAVE ALLOWED THE COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE TO EXPIRE AT 1 PM. NO SCA CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS ON WEDNESDAY WILL GIVE WAY TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS LOW PRESSURE IN THE WESTERN GULF WEAKENS AND IS REPLACED BY HIGH PRESSURE. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTERACT WITH HIGHER PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE AS WELL BEGINNING THURSDAY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 559 AM CDT MON SEP 23 2013 TXZ248>257-241100- ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY- INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON- 559 AM CDT MON SEP 23 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS CONTINUES AT AREAS BEACHES TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-241100- 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- 559 AM CDT MON SEP 23 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...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
After a wet month, drought conditions continued to improve across Willacy County, with Severe (D2) drought conditions prevailing, with only a small sliver of Moderate (D1) drought conditions along the southern boundary.
Drought conditions continued to improve throughout the last week of September as Exceptional (D4) drought became more scarce. The county was essentially divided in half, with the western half of the county experiencing Severe (D2) drought conditions. The eastern half of the county was primarily covered in Extreme (D3) drought conditions, with small patches of Exceptional (D4) drought conditions in the NE and SE corners.
Drought conditions continued to improve throughout the last week of the month, as Exceptional (D4) drought conditions became relegated to the far SE corner of the county. Extreme (D3) conditions were draped across the middle of the county from NW to SE and surrounding by Severe (D2) drought conditions.
Drought conditions continued to improve through the end of the month. 6.22 inches of rain were recorded during the month of September at McAllen Miller International Airport. By the end of the month, the county was split into two. The eastern half of the county was covered by Severe (D2) drought conditions, with the western half was primarily covered by Extreme (D3) drought conditions, with a few patches of Exceptional (D4) drought conditions in the NW and SW corners.
By the end of the month the benefits from some mid month rain showed with the improving drought conditions. Exceptional (D4) drought conditions were confined to the far SE corner of the county, with a swath of Extreme (D3) drought conditions draped across the middle of the county from NW to SE. The remainder of the county was covered in Severe (D2) 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: 478296, 478297, 478298, 478299, 478300.