Early morning pre-dawn thunderstorms strengthened to severe as they moved eastward across southeastern Texas. These storms produced wind damage and hail along with damaging lightning strikes.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Early morning pre-dawn thunderstorms strengthened to severe as they moved eastward across southeastern Texas. These storms produced wind damage and hail along with damaging lightning strikes.
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 Apr 12, 11:05 PM CST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1205 AM CDT WED APR 13 2016
.AVIATION...
LINE OF STORMS BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WRN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AT
THIS TIME. THESE STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY MOVE TO THE COAST NEAR
SUNRISE...THEN POSSIBLY STALL NEAR THIS AREA. SHORT-RANGE MODELS
NOT INDICATING MUCH ACTIVITY AFTER THIS INITIAL LINE BY THE AFTN
HRS BUT THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE MAIN UPPER TROF SEEMS TO
BE ON THE SLOW SIDE. DAYTIME HEATING COULD HELP PRODUCE ADDITION-
AL SCATTERED ACTIVITY LATER TODAY. DRIER AIR/CLEARING MAY NOT BE
ON THE MENU UNTIL LATE TONIGHT/EARLY THURS MORNING. 41
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 958 PM CDT TUE APR 12 2016/
CURRENT FCST IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. SHOWERS/STORMS HAVE
DEVELOPED TO OUR WEST AND WILL BE MOVING THRU SE TX OVERNIGHT.
EXPECT COVERAGE TO EXPAND LOCALLY AS INCREASINGLY DIFFLUENT UPPER
FLOW ENCOUNTERS DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE BEING TRANSPORTED INLAND.
LATEST GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING TWO POSSIBLE AREAS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
OVERNIGHT. THE FIRST AREA WILL BE CLOSER TO THE COAST WHERE A
FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS HUNG UP. THE SECOND IS AN AREA SITUATED FROM
MAYBE CLL-LFK WHERE AN AREA OF H85 SPEED CONVERGENCE IS FCST TO
SET UP. REMAINS TO BE SEEN AS TO HOW THE MESOSCALE PLAYS OUT BUT
BOTH AREAS SEEM PLAUSIBLE. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG STORMS
LOOK TO REMAIN POSSIBLE. HIRES GUIDANCE SUGGESTS PRECIP MIGHT MOVE
OUT A LITTLE FASTER THAN WHAT'S CURRENTLY IN THE FCST. BUT RUN-
TO-RUN CONSISTENCY HASN'T BEEN ALL THAT GREAT...SO THERE'S
CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY IN THAT REGARD. 47
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 60 72 57 78 58 / 80 50 10 10 0
HOUSTON (IAH) 63 73 59 79 59 / 80 70 20 10 0
GALVESTON (GLS) 66 72 64 75 67 / 80 80 20 0 0
&&
.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
THE FOLLOWING ZONES: GALVESTON.
GM...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
THE FOLLOWING ZONES: 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.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 346 PM CDT TUE APR 12 2016 TXZ163-164-176>179-195>199-132100- BRAZOS-BURLESON-GRIMES-HOUSTON-MADISON-MONTGOMERY-POLK- SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WASHINGTON- 346 PM CDT TUE APR 12 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT. ISOLATED STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH THE MAIN THREAT STRONG GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH A THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. TXZ200-210>214-226-227-235>238-132100- AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-GALVESTON-HARRIS- JACKSON-LIBERTY-MATAGORDA-WALLER-WHARTON- 346 PM CDT TUE APR 12 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR ISOLATED STRONG STORMS...WITH THE MAIN THREATS STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY WITH TOTAL REACHING 1 TO 2 INCHES WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE REGION WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES. ISOLATED STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH THE MAIN THREATS STRONG GUSTY WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-132100- 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- 346 PM CDT TUE APR 12 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AREAS OF FOG AT TIMES DENSE MAY REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN 1/2 MILE AT TIMES. FOG WILL LINGER OVER MOST OF THE GULF WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT...WHILE AREAS OF FOG WILL BE MORE COMMON SOUTH OF FREEPORT OUT TO 60 NM. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SEA FOG IS EXPECTED TO LINGER OVER THE GULF WATERS ON WEDNESDAY AND MAY LINGER THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT GUSTY WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:09 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed large tree limbs.
Thunderstorm winds downed a couple of trees east of Weimar.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees along FM 949 from Nelson Lane to Lehrmann Road.
Nickel size hail was reported in Cinco Ranch.
The half dollar size hail was reported in Needville.
Quarter size hail was reported in Sugar Land.
A lightning strike caused a residential structure fire.
A lightning strike caught a residential tree on fire.
The quarter size hail was reported in Friendswood.
The dime size hail was reported in League City.
Quarter size hail was reported in Webster.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a barn and metal shed. A calf was killed by flying debris while two other calves were injured.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a large storage shed and slid a fully loaded stock car semi-trailer off a driveway.
Severe thunderstorm winds caused significant home roof damage and blew over an RV beside the home.
Severe thunderstorm winds damaged three rice silos and blew a large tank into a ditch.
Thunderstorm winds blew an oil well work-over rig on its side.
Thunderstorm winds blew over a utility pole on Wolfglen Estates Drive.
Thunderstorm winds downed a dilapidated barn and downed trees.
A lightning strike damaged a nursing home's fire alarm system.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2016
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: 628060, 628061, 628062, 628064, 628065, 628066, 628068, 628070, 628073, 628077, 628078, 628079, 628080, 628081, 628083, 628084, 628085, 628086, 628087.