Texas, 2020Storm Surge in Texas, September 19 to 23, 2020
September 19 to 23, 2020 · NWS BRO · 7 events in 3 counties and zones
As Hurricane Beta traversed northward across the Gulf of Mexico in late September, outgoing swell propagated into the lower Texas coastal waters on September 20th through the 22nd. This swell was powerful enough to push water into the dunes across South Padre Island around high tide, which occurred at 7:30 PM CDT on the 20th and 9:37 PM CDT on the 21st.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
As Hurricane Beta traversed northward across the Gulf of Mexico in late September, outgoing swell propagated into the lower Texas coastal waters on September 20th through the 22nd. This swell was powerful enough to push water into the dunes across South Padre Island around high tide, which occurred at 7:30 PM CDT on the 20th and 9:37 PM CDT on the 21st. The highest level that was reported was 2.42 feet above Mean Higher-High Water (MHHW; or the level above normally dry ground at the shoreline) at 3:24 AM CDT on the 21st and 2.54 feet above MHHW at 11:24 PM CDT also on the 21st. Levels remained above 1.25 feet MHHW for several hours surrounding the occurrence of high tide on both evenings of September 20th through the 21st and again on the 21st through the 22nd. This activity was enough to cause some coastal erosion.
Farther up the coast, similar wave action and minor coastal flooding was likely - but there were no comparative measurements based on MHHW.
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 Sep 19, 11:37 AM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 19, 11:37 AM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1237 PM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020
.DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.
&&
.AVIATION...VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours with
drier air in place. A few passing low to mid level clouds will
possible at times as Tropical Storm Beta moves closer to the
Middle Texas coast. Moderate north winds with gusts around 25
knots this afternoon will diminish by late this evening. Northwest
winds with some gusts near 20 knots expected by late tonight into
Sunday morning, especially at BRO and HRL.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 631 AM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020/
..12z Aviation Update...
DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below.
AVIATION...Latest GOES-16 satellite imagery shows and surface
observations confirm clear skies across the region. VFR conditions
will prevail through the day and evening today, with a few low/mid
level clouds from time to time. Guidance continues to show
northerly winds increasing and becoming gusty by 15-16z this
morning, with gusts around 25 knots by the afternoon hours. VFR
conditions should continue into Sunday morning as Tropical Storm
Beta moves closer to the middle Texas coast. Rainfall chances are
forecast to increase during the day on Sunday.
PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 500 AM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020/
SHORT TERM (Now through Sunday): Main change overnight with
Tropical Storm Beta was a northeast shift in its central position.
As a result, the NHC made a slightly northern shift in its forecast
track. Please refer to nhc.noaa.gov for the latest forecast track.
Looking at the latest GOES-16 IR satellite imagery, Tropical Storm
Beta is still very much asymmetrical, with southwesterly shear
flowing into it.
The short-term forecast remains fairly convoluted due to the
uncertainty of what TS Beta will do. Beta is forecast to strengthen
into a hurricane sometime late tonight or early Sunday morning. The
main change in the forecast was reducing PoPs and QPF across the CWA
due to the northern shift in Beta's forecast track. Global forecast
models keep most of the precipitation offshore through tonight, and
even into Sunday. If trends continue, PoPs may have to be lowered
even more on Sunday, especially west of I-69C/U.S. 281. With the
current forecast in place, the main impacts for the Rio Grande
Valley and Deep South Texas will be minor to moderate storm surge or
coastal flooding along the coast, very hazardous surf zone and beach
conditions at SPI and Boca Chica beaches, moderate to heavy rainfall
at times along the coast on Sunday which may lead to minor flooding,
and breezy to strong winds, mainly along the coast today and on
Sunday.
Please continue to monitor the latest track of Beta from the
National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov.
LONG TERM (Sunday Night through Friday): Numerous showers and
thunderstorms at the beginning of the period will gradually taper
to isolated convection by the end of the period as strengthening
Tropical Storm Beta moves towards the Middle Texas Coast, and then
towards Louisiana. Given the forecast rain chances, associated
cloud cover, and flow around the backside of Beta, near to
slightly below normal temperatures are likely.
MARINE (Now through Sunday): As of 0100 CDT/0600z, Tropical Storm
Beta was located at 25.8 North and 92.2 West, or about 310 miles
east of the mouth of the Rio Grande, moving north-northeast around
12 mph. Marine conditions will continue to deteriorate today and
into Sunday as Beta strengthens and moves closer to the middle Texas
coast. Wave heights are expected to increase to over 10 feet this
afternoon on the offshore waters and between 6 and 10 feet across
the near-shore Gulf waters. Wave heights will further increase on
Sunday. In addition, northerly winds will increase between 20 and 25
knots on the Gulf waters and around 20 knots on the Laguna Madre
this afternoon. The strongest winds will occur on Sunday, with
sustained wind speeds between 25 and 30 knots on both the Gulf
waters and the Laguna, with gusts in excess of tropical storm force.
Mariners are strongly advised to monitor the latest forecast from
the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center.
Sunday Night through Friday: Hazardous marine conditions will
persist along the Lower Texas Coast through at least Tuesday as
Tropical Storm Beta strengthens and moves towards the Middle Texas
Coast. Adverse winds and seas are then anticipated for the
remainder of the forecast period as Beta moves towards the
Louisiana coast, but swell moves towards the Lower Texas Coast.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 87 71 81 71 / 20 50 60 50
BROWNSVILLE 87 72 80 71 / 20 50 60 40
HARLINGEN 87 69 79 70 / 20 50 60 50
MCALLEN 88 70 81 71 / 10 40 40 40
RIO GRANDE CITY 90 68 85 69 / 10 30 40 40
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 83 74 79 75 / 20 60 60 50
&&
.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Tropical Storm Watch for TXZ251-256-257-351.
High Rip Current Risk through Sunday evening for TXZ256-257-351.
Storm Surge Watch for TXZ351.
High Surf Advisory until 7 PM CDT Sunday for TXZ256-257-351.
Coastal Flood Watch from Sunday morning through Monday morning
for TXZ256-257.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 7 AM CDT Sunday for TXZ256-257.
GM...Tropical Storm Watch for GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175.
&&
This product is also available on the web at:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV
63-KCHazardous weather outlook, Sep 19, 10:17 AM CST, 4 hours 13 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1117 AM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020
TXZ248>257-351-353-201630-
Zapata-Jim Hogg-Brooks-Inland Kenedy-Starr-Southern Hidalgo-
Inland Willacy-Inland Cameron-Coastal Willacy-Coastal Cameron-
Coastal Kenedy-Northern Hidalgo-
1117 AM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Deep South
Texas.
.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight
There is a high risk of rip currents at the beaches of South
Padre Island and at Boca Chica Beach.
A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for the coastal portions of
Cameron and Willacy counties until 7 AM CDT Sunday.
A High Surf Advisory is in effect for the coastal portions of
Cameron, Willacy and Kenedy counties until 7 PM CDT Sunday.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Coastal Kenedy County.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Coastal Cameron, Coastal
Willacy, and all of Kenedy County.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday
A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect for the coastal portions of
Cameron and Willacy counties Sunday morning through Monday
morning.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected for
the entire forecast period due to the approach of Tropical Storm
Beta. Heavy rainfall is likely, and any of the slower-moving
showers or thunderstorms will have the potential to produce
nuisance flooding in low-lying or poorly- draining areas.
Hazardous conditions are anticipated at the local beaches due to
the approach of Tropical Storm Beta. Dangerous rip currents and
flooding are likely at the beaches of South Padre Island and at
Boca Chica Beach.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotter activation will not be needed.
GMZ130-132-135-150-155-170-175-201630-
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-
1117 AM CDT Sat Sep 19 2020
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of The Gulf of
Mexico and The Laguna Madre.
.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for all of the Gulf of Mexico
and Laguna Madre waters.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday
Hazardous winds and seas are anticipated for the lower Texas
coastal waters through the entire forecast period due to Tropical
Storm Beta over the western Gulf of Mexico.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotter activation will not be needed.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Cameron
- When
- September 19, 2:30 PM CST to September 20, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Coastal Cameron forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
An NWS survey of tidal run-up and overwash on South Padre Island found significant dune erosion at many of City and County beach access points between Isla Blanca Park and Clayton's Beach Bar. Beta's water eroded more dunes that began with run-up associated with Hurricane Laura in late August. Though water levels during the time of the run-up (through the high tide cycle) were above 1.5 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW), the strongest push of wave energy occurred at this time (high combined seas and long period swell from the east).
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Willacy
- When
- September 19, 3:30 PM CST to September 20, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Coastal Willacy forecast zone
- Reported by
- C-MAN Station
A tide gage at Port Mansfield (inside Laguna Madre) recorded a peak value of 1.39 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) at 7 AM CST on September 20th. However, the location inside Laguna Madre was likely unrepresentative of conditions along the barrier island farther south, down to the Cameron County line. An NWS survey on South Padre Island found significant beach erosion during the high tide cycle during the evening of the 19th, a result of strong landward push of high seas and swell. Therefore, times listed here are a proxy to similar impacts just 10 to 20 miles farther south on September 19th.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Cameron
- When
- September 20, 5:30 PM CST to September 21, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Coastal Cameron forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
An NWS survey of tidal run-up and overwash on South Padre Island found a second day of significant dune erosion at many of City and County beach access points between Isla Blanca Park and Clayton's Beach Bar. Beta's water eroded more dunes that began with run-up associated with Hurricane Laura in late August. Water levels on this day peaked just below the highest for the event, reaching 2.42 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) at 218-224 AM CST on the 21st. Run-up was similar to that from late on the 19th/early on the 20th as landward push of sea water was slightly less.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Willacy
- When
- September 20, 9:00 PM CST to September 21, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Coastal Willacy forecast zone
- Reported by
- C-MAN Station
A tide gage at Port Mansfield (inside Laguna Madre) recorded a peak value of 1.61 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) at 10:06 PM CST on September 20th. This mini-high tide corresponded closely to high tide times along the coast farther south, and it is assumed that minor coastal flooding in the form of tidal run-up slightly into the dunes of the Willacy County Beaches near Port Mansfield occurred at this time. It is unknown exactly how much water moved into, or calved, the dunes (which had been previously eroded from Hanna in late July and Laura in late August).
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Kenedy County
- When
- September 21, 12:00 AM CST to September 23, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Kenedy County forecast zone
- Reported by
- C-MAN Station
- Coordinates
- 26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A tide gage at Baffin Bay, just north of the Kenedy/Kleberg County line, peaked at 2.34 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) around 8 PM CST September 21, and continued above 2 feet above MSL through 5 PM CST on the 23rd. Though tide levels inside Laguna Madre remained high through the 23rd, the lack of landward push of water from Beta that day as the cyclone had already made landfall on the 22nd along the central Texas coast, well north of Port Mansfield, suggested that the push may have ended earlier. However, since northern Kenedy County was much closer to the outswell from slow-moving Beta for several days, it's possible that additional run-up to or just into the dunes occurred for two or more day period.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Willacy
- When
- September 21, 5:30 PM CST to September 22, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Coastal Willacy forecast zone
- Reported by
- C-MAN Station
A tide gage at Port Mansfield (inside Laguna Madre) rose above 1.5 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL) around 6:30 PM September 21, and continued well above 1.5 feet through the 23rd, peaking at 1.80 MSL at 3:24 PM on the 22nd. Though tide levels inside Laguna Madre remained high through the 23rd, the lack of landward push of water from Beta that day as the cyclone had already made landfall on the 22nd along the central Texas coast, well north of Port Mansfield, suggested that landward push of water had ended much earlier. An NWS survey on South Padre Island found significant beach erosion during the high tide cycle during the evening of the 20th, a result of continuing strong landward push of high seas and swell. It was likely that additional minor erosion affected the northern coast of Willacy County into the high tide over September 21/22.
Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Cameron
- When
- September 21, 6:00 PM CST to September 22, 1:45 AM CST
- Where
- Coastal Cameron forecast zone
- Reported by
- C-MAN Station
The NOAA tide gage at Brazos Santiago recorded a peak value of 2.54 feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) at 10:24 PM CST on September 21st. However, notably less landward push of sea water caused only minimal erosion and run-up toward the dunes during this particularly high tide. Nearby gages at Port Isabel and South Padre Island Coast Guard Station, along the western bay shore and eastern bay shore of Laguna Madre, recorded 2.59 feet (11 PM CST) and 2.5 feet (10:36 PM CST) above MHHW; the Realitos Peninsula location at the mouth of the Arroyo Colorado in Laguna Madre recorded 2.52 feet (12:42 AM, September 21). within an hour or two of the report at Port Isabel.
- Storm Surge/Tide
- Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tropical Storm and Storm Surge in Texas, September 19 to 23, 2020$200,000 · 16 events
- Coastal Flood in South Carolina, September 19 to 21, 202016 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Idaho, September 19, 20201 in hail · 9 events
- Marine Tropical Storm in Gulf of Mexico, September 19 to 21, 20204 events
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, September 19, 20201 event
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: 922921, 922925, 922922, 922924, 922927, 922926, 922923.