Texas, 2025

Drought in Texas, March 25 to 31, 2025

March 25 to 31, 2025 · NWS BRO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe (D2) Drought conditions expanded east in northern and central Kenedy County to cover the coastal zones and barrier island on the 25th - due to persistent dry air and warm to hot conditions. The conditions would be short-lived, as torrential rains produced sufficient water to reduce conditions on April 1st.

Where it happened

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BRO wrote it up.

Severe (D2) Drought conditions expanded east in northern and central Kenedy County to cover the coastal zones and barrier island on the 25th - due to persistent dry air and warm to hot conditions. The conditions would be short-lived, as torrential rains produced sufficient water to reduce conditions on April 1st.

Agricultural impacts (mainly cattle herd culling) were unknown in these areas.

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 Mar 24, 11:43 PM CST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 11:43 PM CST, 17 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1243 AM CDT Tue Mar 25 2025

...New AVIATION...

.SHORT TERM...
(Tonight through Tuesday night)
Issued at 137 PM CDT Mon Mar 24 2025

Overall a quiet afternoon ongoing with temps mostly in the low to
mid 80s and SE to easterly winds. A weak cold front that has
moved through STX over the day has slowed in momentum as it
approached the CWA boarder. It is not expected to make it through
deep STX before fizzling out and retrograding this evening.

Minus some fog over the gulf waters and somewhat inland, the rest
of the short term forecast will be relatively benign. Min and Max
temperatures will be at or above climatological normals with S to
SE winds under increasingly cloudy skies ahead of another system
set to move through in the long term.

LCH

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Wednesday through next Monday)
Issued at 137 PM CDT Mon Mar 24 2025

Wednesday will start off quiet, with a surface high over the
Central Plains and a weak trough west of the area. Winds will be
out of the E and SE, with moisture increasing over STX. This will
help set us up for multiple days of rain, beginning Wednesday
night. PWATs will be steadily increasing as the trough nears,
along with a weak frontal boundary moving northward out of MX. By
Thursday into Friday, several models have forecast PWATs at or
above the 90th percentile for a majority of the CWA.

WPC has highlighted the entire forecast area in a Marginal Risk
(level 1 of 4) for excessive rainfall leading to flash flooding on
Thursday. This will have to be monitored in the coming days for
an increase in threat level. So far, 72h QPF totals are in the 1-3
inch range, however heavier rain / the higher amounts are expected
Thursday night into Friday morning. Currently severe weather is
not expected during that period, however that will also warrant
monitoring over the next few days as some forecast parameters
suggest a low end threat for strong thunderstorms.

Showers will slowly taper from SW to NE over the day on Friday,
leaving us with with clearing skies that night into Saturday. From
there into the beginning of the next work week, pleasant weather
conditions will be likely with the passage of a weak and dry cold
front on Sunday.

LCH

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 1241 AM CDT Tue Mar 25 2025

MVFR to VFR will prevail at the aerodromes through the next 24
hours, with light to moderate winds and generally partly to mostly
cloudy skies.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 137 PM CDT Mon Mar 24 2025

Today through Tuesday...The approach and eventual dissipation of
a weak cold front from the north will produce a modest pressure
gradient over the western Gulf during the period. Light to
moderate winds and low to moderate seas will result, with Small
Craft Should Exercise Caution and Small Craft Advisory not likely
to be needed.

Tuesday Night through Sunday...Mostly favorable conditions are
expected through Thursday with light to moderate winds and low to
moderate seas. More adverse conditions are expected to develop
Thursday as the winds and seas pick up to around 15 knots and
waves in the range of 5 to 7 feet requiring Small Craft Exercise
Caution, although a Small Craft Advisory cannot be ruled out at
this time either. However more favorable conditions are expected
to return by the later half of the weekend.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BROWNSVILLE             69  82  71  82 /   0  20  50  60
HARLINGEN               66  86  68  83 /   0  20  50  70
MCALLEN                 70  90  71  85 /   0  20  60  70
RIO GRANDE CITY         69  87  70  85 /  10  30  70  80
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND      68  75  69  76 /   0  10  40  60
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL     66  81  68  81 /   0  10  50  60

&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Coastal Kenedy

When
March 25, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Coastal Kenedy forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) level drought expanded to cover the northern two-thirds of coastal Kenedy County on March 25th, courtesy of breezy to windy, generally dry (low humidity) days, and above average day/night temperatures with no wetting dew. Conditions would improve soon after rains on March 27-28, but the improvements were not recognized until the April 1st Drought Monitor update.

Unknown was impact to livestock (mainly cattle) in these areas.

Drought, Kenedy Island

When
March 25, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kenedy Island forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
26.928, -97.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (D2) level drought expanded to cover the northern two-thirds of Kenedy County's barrier island (Padre Island National Seashore) on March 25th, courtesy of breezy to windy, generally dry (low humidity) days, and above average day/night temperatures with no wetting dew. Conditions would improve soon after rains on March 27-28, but the improvements were not recognized until the April 1st Drought Monitor update.

Unknown was impact to livestock (mainly cattle) in these areas.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 2025

Sources

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: 1249477, 1249479.