Much needed rainfall fell across areas where exceptional drought had persisted (mostly in southern Zapata County) during mid April. Unfortunately, most of the remainder of Deep South Texas has received less than one quarter of an inch through the same time period, especially across the Rio Grande Valley, where April temperatures remained well above normal.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 BRO wrote it up.
Much needed rainfall fell across areas where exceptional drought had persisted (mostly in southern Zapata County) during mid April. Unfortunately, most of the remainder of Deep South Texas has received less than one quarter of an inch through the same time period, especially across the Rio Grande Valley, where April temperatures remained well above normal. Overall average temperatures through April ranked between the third to fifth warmest in recorded history between Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen, after temperatures in March notched the record warmest at all three locations. For all of April up until this point...the majority of rainfall has fallen across the northern ranchlands of Deep South Texas and the northern edge of the Rio Grande Valley. These areas received anywhere between generally 50 to 110 percent of their normal rainfall. The rest of Deep South Texas, including most of the Rio Grande Valley, have received between 5 to 50 percent of their normal rainfall.
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 Apr 20, 11:29 PM CST, 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Brownsville TX 1229 AM CDT Tue Apr 21 2020 .DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below. && .AVIATION...Generally MVFR to IFR conditions expected tonight, with some patchy fog developing late. Confidence is lower on dense fog at this time. Conditions improve to VFR by mid to late morning, with a persistent cloud deck most of the day, especially across BRO and HRL. Southeasterly winds increase this afternoon, gusting to 20-24 kts at times. Winds may stay breezy through Tuesday evening with MVFR ceilings returning after sunset. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 643 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2020/ DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below. AVIATION...Low clouds expected to develop after sunset first near the coast and KBRO then increase and spread northwest overnight. MVFR to borderline IFR ceilings expected with lower probability of fog formation tonight. Lowest ceilings likely around sunrise with rising of the ceilings by Noon. Some Hi-resolution models show KBRO remaining in MVFR conditions much longer with low confidence of this solution. A mix of marine and radiational fog is possible overnight with probability much lower on coverage and intensity then last night. Light southeast winds tonight and early Tuesday becoming moderate with afternoon gusts around 20 knots. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 300 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2020/ SHORT TERM (Now through Tuesday night): High pressure to the north will shift east, and lower pressure will develop over West Texas in the short term. Weak winds will stabilize and slowly strengthen to moderate southeast tonight and Tuesday. Mid level flow will be zonal during the period and shouldn't be much of a factor. Stabilization of onshore winds will support increasing low level moisture and relative humidity values from east to west, and will also support increasing cloud cover. Patchy fog will develop overnight into Tuesday morning across the nearshore waters, the Laguna Madre, and portions of the CWA, especially eastern sections. Southeast winds will be slightly stronger tonight compared to last night, and therefore may be enough to preclude another round of dense fog. Thus, am not forecasting dense fog over land areas tonight. Temperatures will continue above normal in the short term. Low temperatures in the 70s overnight and high temperatures in the 90s inland by day will be around five degrees above normal. Heat index values may poke above 100 degrees, up to 105 degrees, out west Tuesday afternoon. LONG TERM (Wednesday through Monday): In general, well above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation will continue in the long-term period. A shortwave trough over the Southern/Central Plains will advance eastward through the day Wednesday. Its associated weak surface cold front will slowly sweep through the state and likely push through the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas on Thursday morning. Although there might be an isolated shower or thunderstorm ahead of the front on Wednesday afternoon/evening across the northern Ranchlands, the bulk of the forcing for convection development will remain north of the area. Surface high pressure will quickly build in over northern Texas and move eastward over the Southern US by Thursday evening. Southeast winds will return by the overnight hours on Thursday or early Friday morning. Model guidance suggests Friday to be the warmest day of the week, especially for central and western parts of the CWA, as a dryline develops along the foothills of the Sierra Madre Orientals in the morning and pushes eastward through the day. Models have the dryline reaching near or just west of the I-69E corridor before retreating westward after peak heating. If this scenario plays out, high temperatures will reach the triple digits along/west of I-69E in the afternoon on Friday, with mid-upper 90s elsewhere (except for the immediate coast). The forecast becomes a little murky beyond Friday as forecast model solutions begin to diverge. Quasi-zonal flow aloft will continue through the remainder of the period. Another weak cold front will approach Deep South Texas Friday night into Saturday morning. The front is forecast to stall over or just north of the area late Saturday morning, perhaps sliding through late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Temperatures may cool down back to near seasonal normal on Sunday if the front is able to push through. The front should quickly push back north as a warm front Monday morning, with above normal temperatures returning Monday afternoon. MARINE (Now through Tuesday night): Light to moderate southeast winds and low to moderate seas will prevail. Patchy marine fog will develop along the coast and across the Laguna Madre tonight and even Tuesday morning. Dense fog will be possible. Wednesday through Saturday night...Southeast winds are expected to increase, possibly to Small Craft Exercise Caution conditions, Wednesday afternoon ahead of an approaching weak cold front. The front is expected to pass over the lower Texas coastal waters Thursday morning. Light to moderate north/northeast winds on Thursday will quickly turn easterly/southeasterly by Thursday night. Generally favorable marine conditions will persist Thursday through Saturday. Winds and seas will increase again to exercise caution levels Saturday night into Sunday morning. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. GM...None. && This product is also available on the web at: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 56-Hallman...Aviation
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Brownsville TX 411 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2020 TXZ248>257-351-353-212115- Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Inland Kenedy-Starr-Southern Hidalgo- Inland Willacy-Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron- Coastal Kenedy-Northern Hidalgo- 411 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight There is a moderate risk of rip currents. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday An elevated risk of rip currents will be possible at area beaches through the weekend. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-212115- 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- 411 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of Mexico and The Laguna Madre. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Dense Fog Advisory may be needed for the Laguna Madre and nearshore Gulf of Mexico waters out 20 nautical miles late tonight into Tuesday morning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall during mid April was sufficient to improve drought conditions in Zapata County, dropping the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought to Extreme (D3) Drought starting April 21st and continuing through the end of the month.
Rainfall during mid April was sufficient to improve drought conditions in Starr County, dropping the area of Exceptional (D4) Drought to Extreme (D3) Drought starting April 21st and continuing through the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2020
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: 888142, 888152.