After a cold front passed through the area on January 15th, surface high pressure settled in behind the front which ushered in drier air and clear skies. This allowed for temperatures to drop below freezing on the morning of January 16th.
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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.
After a cold front passed through the area on January 15th, surface high pressure settled in behind the front which ushered in drier air and clear skies. This allowed for temperatures to drop below freezing on the morning of January 16th. Some instances of frost were also observed in parts of the Rio Grande Valley, and likely across some ranch communities as well.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
Temperatures fell below freezing around 12:45 AM and remained below freezing until 5:45 AM. Low temperatures fell into the upper 20s and lower 30s across the area. A minimum temperature of 27 degrees was observed at the Linn-San Manuel RAWS site.
Temperatures fell below freezing around 1:00 AM and remained below freezing until 9:00 AM. Low temperatures ranged from the middle 20s to the lower 30s across the area. A minimum temperature of 26 degrees was observed at the Falcon Lake RAWS site. The Rancho Los Comitas COOP site also observed a low of 31 degrees.
Temperatures fell below freezing around 2:30 AM and remained below freezing until 8:30 AM. Low temperatures fell into the lower 30s across the area. A minimum temperature of 30 degrees was observed at the Calosa 1 Mesonite site. Brooks County Airport also observed a low of 31 degrees.
Temperatures fell into the middle and lower 30s shortly before sunrise on the 16th. This allowed for some instances of frost to develop. Most frost was observed on vegetation or on rooftops, via both in-office COOP observations and social media reports.
Temperatures fell into the middle and lower 30s shortly before sunrise on the 16th. This allowed for some instances of frost to develop. Most frost was observed on vegetation per a report received via social media.
Temperatures fell below freezing around 5:15 AM and remained below freezing until 8:00 AM. Low temperatures fell into the lower 30s across the area. A minimum temperature of 30 degrees was observed at the Zapata airport.
Temperatures fell below freezing around 6:30 AM and remained below freezing until 8:30 AM. Low temperatures ranged from the middle 20s to lower 30s across the area. A minimum temperature of 26 degrees was observed at the SARITA Union Pacific Railroad Mesonet. The Armstrong COOP site also observed a low temperature of 30 degrees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 2021
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: 931979, 931980, 931981, 931984, 931985, 931982, 931983.