With no rainfall across Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley the first week of May, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought across southeastern Cameron County expanded to include most of Cameron County and the southeastern corner of Hidalgo County by the end of the first week of May. For the rest of Deep South Texas, Extreme (D3) Drought conditions continued across southern Zapata, western Starr,…
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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.
With no rainfall across Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley the first week of May, the area of Extreme (D3) Drought across southeastern Cameron County expanded to include most of Cameron County and the southeastern corner of Hidalgo County by the end of the first week of May. For the rest of Deep South Texas, Extreme (D3) Drought conditions continued across southern Zapata, western Starr, southeastern Jim Hogg and along the Rio Grande in southern Starr County. Severe (D2 ) Drought conditions persisted across much of the rest of Deep South Texas.
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 May 4, 11:23 PM CST, 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Brownsville TX 1223 AM CDT Tue May 5 2020 .DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below. && .AVIATION...MVFR will be the dominant category for the overnight hours with light surface winds. Tomorrow, VFR will prevail with breezy winds. A slip back into MVFR will probably occur for the evening. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 640 PM CDT Mon May 4 2020/ DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below. AVIATION...MVFR ceilings will develop overnight through mid Tuesday morning as marine layer low clouds move over the area. Breezy southeast winds will decrease to light. Isolated streamer showers will develop along the coast and over the coastal waters. Ceilings will lift and scatter out Tuesday as winds increase to moderate southeast by afternoon. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 303 PM CDT Mon May 4 2020/ SHORT TERM (Now through Tuesday Night): The mid-level ridge of high pressure begins to edge further west through the short term period, bringing in more northwesterly flow aloft across Texas into Tuesday. At the surface, high pressure across the eastern Gulf slides further east as low pressure deepens across the Plains and moves into the Great Lakes, dragging a cold front south into Deep South Texas Tuesday night. The front remains generally weak and begins to stall as it arrives, with low pressure developing across northern Mexico. This may set the stage for convective development across the higher elevations of Mexico Tuesday night. The cap should mostly hold across the CWA with very dry air aloft, but little spokes of energy near the frontal passage may help any developed storms charge the border into Zapata and Starr counties. Have kept POPs generally under 20 percent at this time across the brush country. Aside from that, it looks warm and dry. Temperatures this afternoon have warmed quick over the last hour. Not sure highs will warm as much tomorrow, with cooler air aloft and slightly less breezy winds at the surface, but confident in highs remaining well above normal. With slightly increasing low level moisture, expect a more humid day as well tomorrow, with Heat Indices still reaching 100-104 across the RGV. LONG TERM (Wednesday through Monday): 500mb trough across the northeast United States Wednesday will bring a weak cold front into the Rio Grande Valley Wed morning. This will provide a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms across the CWA Wednesday. Rain chances will diminish Wed night as low to mid level moisture diminishes across south Texas Wed night into Thursday. The rest of the forecast period looks cooler and wetter as a 500mb trough across the eastern U.S. Friday allows a Canadian airmass to filter southward across the central U.S. Friday and a cold front moves into deep south Texas Fri night into Saturday. Low to mid level moisture will increase across northeast Mexico and south Texas Fri night and remain high across the area Saturday. This will provide a good chance of showers and thunderstorms across the CWA Fri night through Sat night. Rain chances will diminish Sunday as drier air filters into the south Texas. A 500mb shortwave is progged to move across west Texas late Monday and this will provide a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms across the western portions of the CWA towards the end of the forecast period. Temperatures will be above normal through the week before the cooler air arrives Saturday. Temperatures will be slightly below normal through the weekend into early next week. MARINE (Now through Tuesday Night): Low pressure deepens across the Plains today, strengthening the pressure gradient, and increasing southeasterly winds across nearshore waters. Small Craft Caution conditions continue into this evening. As high pressure slides further east across the Gulf, expect marine conditions to become more favorable into Tuesday night. A weak cold front arrives by late Tuesday night, with very isolated thunderstorms possible across coastal waters late. Wednesday through Saturday...Light to moderate northeast winds will prevail across the coastal waters Wednesday with surface high pressure across the east-central United States. Winds will veer to the southeast and increase slightly Thursday as the surface ridge moves eastward. Moderate southeast winds Thursday will veer to the south and increase Friday as the pressure gradient increases across the lower Texas coast. SCEC conditions will prevail across the coastal waters Friday before the pressure gradient weakens Fri night as a cold front moves into deep south Texas. Light southeast winds Fri night will shift to the northeast and increase Saturday in the wake of the front moving offshore the lower Texas coast Sat morning. Small craft advisories will likely be needed for the coastal waters Saturday as strong northeast winds develop in the wake of the front. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && This product is also available on the web at: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Brownsville TX 403 PM CDT Mon May 4 2020 TXZ248>257-351-353-052115- Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Inland Kenedy-Starr-Southern Hidalgo- Inland Willacy-Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron- Coastal Kenedy-Northern Hidalgo- 403 PM CDT Mon May 4 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday An elevated risk of rip currents is possible at the local beaches Tuesday and again Friday through Sunday. A Wind Advisory may be needed for portions of deep south Texas on Friday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-052115- 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- 403 PM CDT Mon May 4 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of Mexico and The Laguna Madre. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Small Craft Advisories are possible along the lower Texas coast Friday and Saturday. .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.
As little to no rainfall occurred in early May, drought conditions intensified across Cameron County. Extreme (D3) Drought conditions expanded to include all but the top fifth of the county, which remained in Severe (D2) Drought conditions.
As little to no rainfall occurred in early May, drought conditions intensified across Cameron County. Extreme (D3) Drought conditions expanded into the southeastern corner of the county, leaving the remainder of Southern Hidalgo County in Severe (D2) Drought.
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, May 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: 893506, 893507.