Frost and Freeze in Texas, December 8, 2017

Name: Frost and Freeze in Texas, December 8, 2017
Start: 2017-12-08T01:35
End: 2017-12-08T10:00
Location: Texas

December 8, 2017 · NWS BRO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A pattern known as a modified McFarland brought a modified polar air mass across all of Deep South Texas and well into northeast Mexico in the lee of the Sierra Madre Mountains. The polar air changed rain to snow, some which fell heavy enough in a stripe from southern Zapata, northern Starr, most of Jim Hogg, and western Brooks County to bring several hours of 32 degree or lower temperatures.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
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Floods
Wind
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Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

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 Dec 7, 11:48 PM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 7, 11:48 PM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 7, 4:54 PM CST, 8 hours 41 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.

Frost/Freeze, Jim Hogg

When: December 8, 1:35 AM CST to 8:15 AM CST
Where: Jim Hogg forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 27.043, -98.697 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

After rain changed to snow shortly before midnight on December 8th, temperatures fell to or just below 32 degrees soon after, as moderate to locally heavy snow dropped between 2 and 5 inches on most of the county. Temperatures remained there through an hour or two after daybreak, just after the snow tapered off. Hebbronville fell to 32 degrees at 135 AM and remained there until 815 AM.

Frost/Freeze, Brooks

When: December 8, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Brooks forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 27.032, -98.219 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locally heavy wet snow falling at brief hourly rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour dropped temperatures to 32 degrees across much of Brooks County during the early morning of December 8th. Proxy observations included Linn/San Manuel (32 degrees) and both Armstrong (30 degrees) and Sarita (31 degrees) made the case for the winter of 2017/2018's first light freeze.

Frost/Freeze, Zapata

When: December 8, 3:35 AM CST to 6:55 AM CST
Where: Zapata forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 27.001, -99.169 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

After rain changed to snow shortly after midnight on December 8th, temperatures fell to or just below 32 degrees not to long after, as rain and snow developed across the south half of the county and moderate snow redeveloped across most of the county a few hours later. Temperatures remained there until around daybreak. At Zapata County Airport, temperatures fell to 32 degrees at 335 AM and remained there until 655 AM.

Frost/Freeze, Kenedy

When: December 8, 5:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Kenedy forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

After rain changed to snow just before daybreak on December 8th, temperatures fell to or just below 32 degrees for several hours during the morning. Observations included both Armstrong (30 degrees) and Sarita (31 degrees), making the case for the winter of 2017/2018's first light freeze.

Frost/Freeze, Starr

When: December 8, 6:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Starr forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 26.562, -98.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures are assumed to have fallen to 32 degrees shortly before daybreak on December 8th as moderate snow developed over ranch country, and continued to fall steadily in bands until around 9 AM before tapering off, allowing temperatures to rise back above freezing. The Rio Grande City cooperative site carried a low temperature of 30 degrees at some point during the morning of the 8th.

What these are

Frost/Freeze: Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.

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, December 2017

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 734756, 734754, 734757, 734755, 734758.