A shortwave trough moved through a slow moving trough over the southwestern US and triggered thunderstorms over South Central Texas. Storms were fed by a warm, moist boundary layer and some reached severe strength and produced locally heavy rain.
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 EWX wrote it up.
A shortwave trough moved through a slow moving trough over the southwestern US and triggered thunderstorms over South Central Texas. Storms were fed by a warm, moist boundary layer and some reached severe strength and produced locally heavy rain.
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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 8, 11:30 PM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 1230 AM CDT Tue Oct 9 2018 .AVIATION... SAT and SSF have IFR ceilings which should only last for a few hours. AUS is VFR and DRT is MVFR. By 08Z or 09Z all terminals should be MVFR. There will be showers and thunderstorms scattered across the region through the night and day. The best chance for convection will be during the afternoon. Convection will likely lower visibility to MVFR or IFR. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 927 PM CDT Mon Oct 8 2018/ UPDATE... New showers and thunderstorms have developed south of Bexar County the last hour and now affecting parts of Bexar County and areas along the I-35 corridor. Looking at the latest water vapor images, there is an upper level short-wave moving across the southern part of south central Texas where the activity is taking place. Also, the SPC Mesoscale Analysis website points out to an area of upper-level divergence right over the area where the upper level wave is moving across and lineup well with the I-35 corridor. Latest HRRR model guidance suggest for this activity to continue through late tonight with another pulse of energy coming across over same areas overnight. There could be pockets of 1 to 2 inches of rainfall with stronger storms as pwats remains between 1.8 to 2.0 inches over those areas. Things out west are not bad at this present time with only one cluster of strong storms barely touching the northwest part of Val Verde County. This situation may not last long as things get interesting close and after midnight tonight as the main upper level disturbance over the four corners region moves to the northeast. Expect the threat for heavy rain and flash flooding to continue overnight as the severe threat diminishes. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Austin Camp Mabry 83 66 83 60 81 / 70 50 10 - - Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport 84 66 83 59 81 / 70 50 10 - - New Braunfels Muni Airport 83 66 84 60 81 / 70 50 10 - - Burnet Muni Airport 80 61 81 56 78 / 80 40 - - - Del Rio Intl Airport 84 63 86 66 82 / 60 10 - 10 10 Georgetown Muni Airport 82 63 81 57 79 / 70 50 - - - Hondo Muni Airport 84 65 86 61 82 / 70 40 10 - 10 San Marcos Muni Airport 83 67 84 60 81 / 70 50 10 - - La Grange - Fayette Regional 86 69 85 61 83 / 60 50 10 - - San Antonio Intl Airport 84 67 85 61 81 / 70 50 10 - 10 Stinson Muni Airport 84 68 86 63 82 / 70 50 10 - 10 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch until 7 AM CDT this morning for Bandera-Edwards- Kerr-Kinney-Maverick-Real-Uvalde-Val Verde-Zavala. Flash Flood Watch through this afternoon for Gillespie-Llano. && Mesoscale/Aviation...05/17 Synoptic/Grids...04
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 1007 PM CDT Mon Oct 8 2018 TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-100315- Llano-Burnet-Williamson-Val Verde-Edwards-Real-Kerr-Bandera- Gillespie-Kendall-Blanco-Hays-Travis-Bastrop-Lee-Kinney-Uvalde- Medina-Bexar-Comal-Guadalupe-Caldwell-Fayette-Maverick-Zavala- Frio-Atascosa-Wilson-Karnes-Gonzales-De Witt-Lavaca-Dimmit- 1007 PM CDT Mon Oct 8 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for South-Central Texas.. .DAY ONE...Tonight. A flash flood watch is in effect for western areas through 7 am Tuesday. Additional scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected the rest of tonight. Rainfall amounts of one to three inches are possible with isolated amounts up to 5 inches through the period. There is a marginal to slight risk for severe thunderstorms across the Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande Plains, with the greatest risk located across Val Verde County. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Gillespie and Llano Counties through noon Tuesday. Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms with locally heavy rain are possible Tuesday and Tuesday night across the central and eastern portions of the region. There is a slight risk for severe thunderstorms on Tuesday mainly north of Highway 10. Drier conditions are expected for Wednesday through Friday. Another upper level system will impact the area starting Friday night and continuing through Sunday with increasing chances for showers and thunderstorms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated, however, all reports are welcome especially severe and flash flooding.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 914 PM CDT MON OCT 8 2018 TXZ219-090300- Frio TX- 914 PM CDT MON OCT 8 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL FRIO COUNTY UNTIL 1000 PM CDT... At 913 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Derby, or 9 miles northeast of Dilley, moving north at 25 mph. Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Pearsall, North Pearsall, Moore, Derby, Three Oaks and Interstate 35. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. && LAT...LON 2866 9889 2867 9915 2907 9926 2908 9887 TIME...MOT...LOC 0213Z 175DEG 20KT 2874 9904 PLATT
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 925 PM CDT MON OCT 8 2018 TXZ183-090315- Val Verde TX- 925 PM CDT MON OCT 8 2018 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN VAL VERDE COUNTY UNTIL 1015 PM CDT... At 924 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 11 miles west of Pandale, or 26 miles northeast of Dryden, moving northeast at 25 mph. Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Hackberry Crossing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. && A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for south central Texas. LAT...LON 3029 10176 3029 10151 3010 10176 TIME...MOT...LOC 0224Z 227DEG 24KT 3024 10173 PLATT
The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:57 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding closing Hwy 55 near Pulliam Creek between Rocksprings and Barksdale.
A thunderstorm produced a wind gust measured at 72 mph by the ASOS at Laughlin AFB. There was also 3/4 inch hail.
Thunderstorms produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph that knocked down some large tree limbs along FM 2804 northwest of Brackettville.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail near Montell.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flooding of the Sabinal River. At Sabinal the river crested at 15.34 feet late on 10/9/18. Flood stage is 12 feet. It dropped below flood stage early on the 10th. A truck was washed away on RR 187 at a low water crossing that remained flooded south of Sabinal at 1:50 am Oct 12. A man in his 20s was killed and his body was found approximately one mile from the river crossing.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Uvalde | 2018-10-10 | 22 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, October 2018
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: 788403, 788404, 788405, 788406, 788692.