Tropical Storm in Texas, August 25, 2017

Name: Tropical Storm in Texas, August 25, 2017
Start: 2017-08-25T12:00
End: 2017-08-25T20:30
Location: Texas

August 25, 2017 · NWS BRO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Rapidly intensifying Hurricane Harvey moved along the outer edge of the Lower Texas Coastal waters from the pre-dawn hours through the mid afternoon of August 25th. Harvey began the period as a Category 2 storm and was a mid range Category 3 storm as it headed toward the Texas Coastal Bend region, where it would make landfall as a 938 mb Category 4 wrecking ball near Rockport.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.

The outskirts of Harvey produced tropical storm force gusts measured and estimated at 41 to 46 mph on South Padre Island to the western shoreline of Laguna Madre, in Cameron County, with gusts from 48 to 63 mph along the coast of Kenedy County, including the Laguna Madre shoreline. Here, sustained tropical storm force winds of 39 to 51 mph were reported at shoreline buoys. No damage was reported in these areas, which are vastly unpopulated.

Within the tropical storm force (sustained) wind area, other impacts included nuisance tidal overwash that ran into the dunes on the barrier island (South Padre and the Padre Island National Seashore north of Port Mansfield), with storm surge measured at 1.77 feet above predicted tide. At Baffin Bay, the tide level peaked at 1.77 feet above Mean Sea Level, which likely equated to 2 feet of storm surge (based on similar reports farther south). No damage or beach erosion was reported at the Cameron County public and resort areas of South Padre, but there may have been minor erosion along the Kenedy County coast. Backside northwest to west flow during the evening of the 25th, well after Harvey had passed north of the Lower Texas coast, trapped or enhanced water levels for one final high tide cycle during the evening especially along west-facing shores of Laguna Madre.

The heaviest rainfall spared most of the Lower Texas coast, with the highest reported at the cooperative site 7 miles east of Sarita (northeast Kenedy) with only 2.27 inches. Bias corrected radar indicated a sliver of 3 to 4 inches near Baffin Bay and the Gulf intersection at the northeast tip of Kenedy County, which was absorbed easily on sandy soil.

What forecasters said that day

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 25, 11:45 AM CST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 25, 11:45 AM CST, 15 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1245 PM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017

.DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.
&&

.AVIATION...Hurricane Harvey continues to steadily progress
towards the Middle Texas Coast. Meanwhile, outer rainbands from
Harvey are affecting the three major aerodromes, especially HRL
and BRO. However, the precipitation is light and is expected to
remain so through the rest of today and tonight. Surface winds
will gradually veer as Harvey moves farther north. MVFR to VFR is
anticipated through the next 24 hours.
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 630 AM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017/

DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.

AVIATION...Rainbands from Harvey offshore are now actively
sweeping over the lower valley from the northeast. Strong
northwest winds and gusts are to be expected with the bands today.
The TAFs reflect winds around 25 to 30 knots with gusts to 35 or
40 knots. This will be just shy of airport weather warning
criteria for BRO and HRL, so will refrain from issuing that
product for now. MVFR ceilings should develop for the day.

PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 517 AM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017/

SHORT TERM (Today through Saturday): Hurricane Harvey will be the
focus for the short term. Rainfall will be the biggest concern
today, with coastal areas of the lower valley in the mix as rain
bands arrive with regularity. Kenedy, Willacy and Cameron Counties
will receive the brunt of the rainfall, with two to five inches
possible today. Periods of heavy rainfall will be possible as bands
move inland, and nuisance flooding will be possible. Farther north,
a flash flood watch is in place for Kenedy and Brooks Counties
through Saturday. Northwest winds of 40 gusting to 50 mph will be
possible along the coast today. Harvey should make landfall north of
the CWA tonight, with locally improving conditions on Saturday.

LONG TERM (Saturday Night through Thursday):By Saturday night,
Harvey is forecast to be a tropical storm that has made landfall
north of the CWA.  Latest model guidance stalls Harvey out over
south Texas and the middle Texas coast Saturday night and early
Sunday before moving the storm south and east and back over Corpus
Christi late Sunday into Sunday night, then pushing the storm
east over the Gulf Monday and Tuesday and then lifting it north
across east Texas Wednesday and Thursday. Forecast is highly
dependent on just how far north Harvey pulls up stationary.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms remain possible
Saturday night into Monday, tapering off by Tuesday. Have opted to
lower pops slightly Saturday night into early next week as drier
air wraps into the western and southern areas, keeping the best
chances across the northeastern CWA and the coastal waters, closer
to the storm and where the best moisture is. Locally heavy
rainfall remains possible on Sunday along the coast and across
the northern ranchlands. Temperatures will remain near to below
normal Sunday into Monday, with highs only in the upper 80s to
lower 90s and lows in the 70s.

As the week progresses, mid-level ridging builds eastward across
the western US bringing drier air to the region. A warming trend
ensues for the latter half of the period, with high temps
surpassing the century mark near Falcon on Wednesday and becoming
more widespread across the Upper Valley and western brush country
Thursday and Friday.

MARINE (Today through Saturday): Buoy 42020 reported north
northeast winds around 23 knots gusting to around 30 knots with
seas around 13 feet with a period of 11 seconds at 3:50 am
CDT/8:50 UTC. Conditions will continue to deteriorate today as
Hurricane Harvey moves northwest across portions of the lower
Texas coastal waters. Some improvement is expected on Saturday
after Harvey makes landfall along the middle Texas Coast early
Saturday morning.

Saturday night through Wednesday: Ongoing hazardous marine
conditions continue Saturday night and through the first half of
the week. Strong southwest to northwest winds expected across the
lower Texas coastal waters through much of the forecast period.
Small craft advisory to possible gale conditions will likely
continue through early next week as winds stay strong and seas
remain elevated as Harvey stalls out over South Texas and the
middle Texas coast before moving south and then east over the Gulf
waters once again. Marine conditions expected to improve by
midweek as Harvey moves away from the region.
&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Hurricane Warning for TXZ251.

     Tropical Storm Warning for TXZ250-254>257.

     Flash Flood Watch through Saturday evening for TXZ250-251.

GM...Hurricane Warning for GMZ135-155-170-175.

     Tropical Storm Warning for GMZ130-132-150.
&&

This product is also available on the web at:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 25, 10:49 AM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1149 AM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017

TXZ248>257-262100-
Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Kenedy-Starr-Hidalgo-Inland Willacy-
Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron-
1149 AM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South
Texas.

.DAY ONE...Rest of Today and Tonight

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CAMERON...WILLACY...AND
BROOKS COUNTIES.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR KENEDY COUNTY.

A STORM SURGE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PADRE ISLAND SOUTH OF PORT
MANSFIELD.

A STORM SURGE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR PADRE ISLAND NORTH OF PORT
MANSFIELD AND THE COASTAL PORTION OF KENEDY COUNTY ADJACENT TO THE
LAGUNA MADRE.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BROOKS AND KENEDY COUNTIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR CAMERON...WILLACY...AND BROOKS
COUNTIES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT SUNDAY.

THE HURRICANE WARNING FOR KENEDY COUNTY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT
UNTIL 9 AM CDT SUNDAY.

THE STORM SURGE WATCH FOR PADRE ISLAND SOUTH OF PORT MANSFIELD
WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT SUNDAY.

THE STORM SURGE WARNING FOR PADRE ISLAND NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD
AND THE COASTAL PORTION OF KENEDY COUNTY ADJACENT TO THE LAGUNA
MADRE WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT SUNDAY.

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR BROOKS AND KENEDY COUNTIES WILL REMAIN
IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

RESIDENTS SHOULD REPORT WIND DAMAGE AND FLOODING TO LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BROWNSVILLE.

GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-262100-
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-
1149 AM CDT Fri Aug 25 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of
Mexico and The Laguna Madre.

.DAY ONE...Rest of Today and Tonight

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT SOUTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR
THE LAGUNA MADRE AND GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND
FROM 0 TO 20 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT SOUTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR THE
GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 20 TO 60 NAUTICAL
MILES OFFSHORE.

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR THE
LAGUNA MADRE AND GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 0
TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING SOUTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR THE LAGUNA
MADRE AND GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 0 TO 20
NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT
SUNDAY.

THE HURRICANE WARNING SOUTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR THE GULF OF
MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 20 TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES
OFFSHORE WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT SUNDAY.

THE HURRICANE WARNING NORTH OF PORT MANSFIELD FOR THE LAGUNA
MADRE AND GULF OF MEXICO WATERS EAST OF PADRE ISLAND FROM 0 TO 60
NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT
SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

MARINERS SHOULD REPORT WIND DAMAGE AND WATERSPOUTS TO THE UNITED
STATES COAST GUARD AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
BROWNSVILLE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 25, 9:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1045 AM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0950 AM     TROPICAL STORM   47 ENE PORT MANSFIELD   26.81N  96.73W
08/25/2017                   GMZ175             TX   BUOY

            BUOY 42020...47 NAUTICAL MILES NORTHEAST OF PORT
            MANSFIELD...REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND SPEED OF 42 MPH
            WITH A WIND GUST OF 51 MPH AT 950 AM.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700049

BIRCHFIELD

Local storm report, Aug 25, 10:01 AM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1101 AM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0850 AM     TROPICAL STORM   37 ENE SOUTH PADRE ISLA 26.28N  96.63W
08/25/2017                   GMZ170             TX   BUOY

            TABS BUOY 42045...37 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF SOUTH PADRE
            ISLAND REPORTED A WIND SPEED OF 40 MPH WITH A WIND GUST
            OF 49 MPH.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700050

BIRCHFIELD

Local storm report, Aug 25, 10:03 AM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1103 AM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0950 AM     TROPICAL STORM   37 ENE SOUTH PADRE ISLA 26.28N  96.63W
08/25/2017                   GMZ170             TX   BUOY

            TABS BUOY 42045 REPORTED A WIND SPEED OF 49 MPH AND A
            WIND GUST OF 51 MPH.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700051

BIRCHFIELD

Local storm report, Aug 25, 10:31 AM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1131 AM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1050 AM     TROPICAL STORM   47 NE PORT MANSFIELD    27.03N  96.89W
08/25/2017                   GMZ175             TX   BUOY

            BUOY 42020 REPORTED A WIND SPEED OF 49 MPH WITH A WIND
            GUST OF 58 MPH.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700052

BIRCHFIELD

Local storm report, Aug 25, 11:20 AM CST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1220 PM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1150 AM     TROPICAL STORM   47 NE PORT MANSFIELD    27.03N  96.89W
08/25/2017                   GMZ175             TX   BUOY

            BUOY 42020 MEASURED A WIND SPEED OF 56 MPH AND A WIND
            GUST OF 69 MPH AT 1150 AM.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700053

BIRCHFIELD

Local storm report, Aug 25, 11:32 AM CST, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1232 PM CDT FRI AUG 25 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0953 AM     TROPICAL STORM   BAYVIEW                 26.12N  97.40W
08/25/2017                   CAMERON            TX   ASOS

            KPIL ASOS IN BAYVIEW REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 39 MPH AT
            953 AM.

&&

EVENT NUMBER BRO1700054

BIRCHFIELD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Kenedy

When: August 25, 12:00 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where: Kenedy forecast zone
Reported by: Buoy
Coordinates: 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical storm force sustained winds (39 to 51 mph with gusts to 63 mph) arrived along and up to 10 to 15 miles (estimated) from the shoreline of Kenedy County during the afternoon of August 25, and likely continued across the north half of this area through sunset or just beyond as Hurricane Harvey scooted by some 80 (south) to 60 (north) miles of the shoreline. The Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON) sites at Rincon del San Jose and Baffin Bay - shoreline proxies to the coastline, reported sustained winds of 39 mph and 51 mph, respectively, with gusts to 47 and 63 mph, respectively. No wind damage was reported over the largely unpopulated region.

While a storm surge estimated at up to 2 feet run up to and into the dunes along the barrier island, there were no indications from aerial photography of any new breaches or significant flooding or erosion.

What these are

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, August 2017 The 2017 hurricane season

Sources

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: 720930.