An early morning thunderstorm developed ahead of a cold front and produced some wind damage.
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.
An early morning thunderstorm developed ahead of a cold front and produced some wind damage.
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 Dec 16, 6:15 AM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
615 AM CST Mon Dec 16 2019
.AVIATION...
Very light, quick passing showers (or sprinkles) leading the cold
front that is on the doorstep of the forecast area this morning.
The frontal timing is fairly close to recent thinking but have
sped front up an hour or so faster based on recent trends.
Currently have the front through CLL in the next hour (13Z),
through IAH and HOU during the 18Z noon hour and past GLS around
21Z. Primarily showers in association with this latest fropa but
wouldn't be surprised if near coastal terminals experience an
isolated early afternoon storm. Strong northerly winds will occur
in the wake of the front and these will persist through the
remainder of the period. Any IFR/MVFR decks will quickly lift and
scattered out within an hour or two past the north(west) wind
shift. 31
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 416 AM CST Mon Dec 16 2019/
SHORT TERM [Through Tuesday]...
Cold front positioning at 4 AM was just to the north of the forecast
area...mid 40 temps/dew point air mass in its wake across north
central state. Cold frontal timing may be an hour or two earlier
than anticipated yesterday but those in the Brazos River Valley can
expect winds to turn around to the northwest at around 7 AM...metro
between Noon and 2 PM...with the front completely off the coast by 4
PM. Precipitation accumulations will be low within primarily drizzle
or periods of light rain showers. As the front nears the coast later
this morning into the early afternoon, would expect that communities
along and east of the I-45 corridor will hear some rumbles of
thunder. Precipitation will come to a quick end by sunset as deeper
layer cold and dry air envelops southeastern Texas.
Stout northerlies in the wake of the front through the
period...especially as the best cold air advection hits our
relatively warmer shelf waters. Air in the 40s overriding water in
the lower 60s will increase coastal winds to near Wind Advisory 20
to 25 mph speeds tonight/early Tuesday. Today's maximum temperatures
will occur before the early afternoon per the shallow dome of cold
air behind the boundary comes through...lower 60s across the far
northern tier counties, low to mid 70s across the central CWA to the
coastal county upper 70s.
A cold and blustery Monday night/Tuesday morning as north winds make
interior middle to upper 30s 'feel' more like the middle 20s to
lower 30s. After a couple of record-setting warm days, Tuesday will
be the polar opposite (no pun intended) as the day struggles to get
out of the 40s under mostly sunny skies and continued fresh north
winds. 31
LONG TERM [Tuesday Night Through Monday]...
Strong high pressure will bring cool and dry weather to Southeast Texas
through Thursday. Some of our northern spots could have several hours
of temperatures right around or just under freezing both Tuesday night
and Wednesday night, with Wednesday night probably the coldest night
of the two. A slow warming trend begins on Thursday as the high moves
off to the east, and after a couple days with highs in the 50s
(Tuesday/Wednesday) we should warm up into the 60s for much of the
area Thursday afternoon. Will continue to bring our next rain chances
back into the forecast Thursday night and Friday morning as the next
trof and associated cold front begin their approach from the west.
Still not real confident on how this will all unfold due to ongoing
model differences, but will continue to carry the area's best rain
chances on Friday. Everything should quiet down Friday night as high
pressure begins to build into the state, and the weekend is still
shaping up to be dry with cool nights (lows mostly in the 40s) and
mild days (highs mostly in the 60s). A gradual warming trend looks
to be in store for the area at the start of the upcoming holiday week
as the high moves off to the east and an onshore flow sets up. 42
MARINE...
Today's moderate onshore flow and lifted seas, with periods of
locally dense fog, will transition to strong northerlies in the wake
of a late afternoon cold front. Small craft are advised to remain in
port this afternoon as northerlies strengthen to sustained 20 to 30
knots with gusts to gale force through Tuesday. A Gulf-wide Gale
Warning is in effect from 3 PM today along with local bay Small
Craft Advisories. There could also be issues with low water within
the local channels particularly during low tide times from tonight
through tomorrow afternoon. 31
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 60 34 53 30 58 / 30 0 0 0 0
Houston (IAH) 75 36 54 34 57 / 50 0 0 0 0
Galveston (GLS) 73 41 53 43 56 / 80 20 0 0 0
&&
.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...Small Craft Advisory from 3 PM this afternoon to noon CST
Tuesday for the following zones: Galveston Bay...Matagorda
Bay.
Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM CST this morning for the
following zones: Galveston Bay.
Gale Warning from 3 PM this afternoon to noon CST Tuesday for
the following zones: Coastal waters from Freeport to
Matagorda Ship Channel TX out 20 NM...Coastal waters from
High Island to Freeport TX out 20 NM...Waters from Freeport
to Matagorda Ship Channel TX from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from
High Island to Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM CST this afternoon for the
following zones: Waters from Freeport to Matagorda Ship
Channel TX from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High Island to
Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.
&&
Short/Aviation/Marine...31
Long...42The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees had their tops broken off, and the trees fell across the streets near intersection of FM 1725 and Dabney Bottom Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2019
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: 863388.