A small but potent thunderstorm raced from north to south across Brownsville during the afternoon of May 30th and produced minor tree limb damage.
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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.
A small but potent thunderstorm raced from north to south across Brownsville during the afternoon of May 30th and produced minor tree limb damage.
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 30, 11:35 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Brownsville TX 1235 PM CDT Fri May 30 2025 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today through Saturday) Issued at 323 AM CDT Fri May 30 2025 A cold front is expected to make its way from Central Texas (where it is currently located today) into Deep South Texas tomorrow and stall, which will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms to the area. For today, chances are relatively low (less than 20%) with a few isolated showers possible. The Western counties in particular will see chances increase to around 40-50% tonight, largely due to a mesoscale convective system that CAMs are predicting to form in Central Texas this evening and move into Mexico, skirting the Western Counties as it passes. Tomorrow, as the front moves further south and stalls across the area, all of Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley will have around a 40% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms, which could be widespread. At this time, there is little risk of any severe thunderstorm formation. Temperatures are expected to be cooler tomorrow than they will be today; highs today are expected to be in the mid 90s, but will drop to the lower 90s tomorrow as the cold front arrives and cloud cover across the area increases. Low temperatures tonight will be in the mid to upper 70s. Skies are expected to be mostly cloudy, and winds are expected to be easterly, becoming light and variable overnight. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday Night through Thursday) Issued at 323 AM CDT Fri May 30 2025 The most unsettled portion of the long term forecast period will occur at the beginning. The slow approach and intrusion of a weak cold front, combined with weakness overhead at the 500 mb level, will result in widespread but generally isolated convection from Saturday night through Monday. Afterwards, 500 mb high pressure building northeast out of neighboring Mexico will result in sustained dry weather for the remainder of the forecast period. Temperature-wise, near normal values are anticipated at the outset courtesy of the chance for showers and thunderstorms. Afterwards, as the dry weather sets in and persists, a slow increase in high temperatures will occur as the mid-level high becomes more of a factor. Unfortunately, heat indices will correspondingly rise, and a Heat Advisory may be needed for Wednesday and Thursday for portions of Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1222 PM CDT Fri May 30 2025 A mixture of MVFR to VFR conditions are expected to persist through the TAF period as low-level clouds move through the area at times. BRO and HRL sites could see some thunderstorms move through the region during the early part of the period as well. Some of the models do show another round of thunderstorms towards the end of the period, however confidence is not high enough to include in the TAF package at this time. Winds are expected to be light and variable outside of any thunderstorms moving through the area. && .MARINE... (Today through Saturday) Issued at 323 AM CDT Fri May 30 2025 Marine conditions are expected to be favorable with light to moderate easterly winds and low wave heights. Conditions could deteriorate temporarily around any thunderstorms that happen to form in Gulf waters over the area. (Saturday Night through Thursday) Light to moderate winds and low to moderate seas will prevail along the Lower Texas Coast through a majority of the period with a weak pressure gradient in place. However, as the gradient becomes enhanced later in the period, winds will increase and seas will build. Small Craft Should Exercise Caution and Small Craft Advisory will likely be needed Wednesday and Thursday to account for the more adverse marine conditions. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BROWNSVILLE 94 79 90 77 / 10 20 50 20 HARLINGEN 94 76 90 74 / 20 20 40 20 MCALLEN 97 78 92 77 / 20 30 40 20 RIO GRANDE CITY 96 75 90 75 / 20 50 40 30 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 86 79 85 78 / 10 20 40 20 BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 92 78 88 76 / 10 20 40 20 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. GM...None. && SHORT TERM...55 LONG TERM....66 AVIATION...64-Katz
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1258 PM CDT Fri May 30 2025
TXZ255-355-301845-
Coastal Cameron TX-Inland Cameron TX-
1258 PM CDT Fri May 30 2025
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT CAMERON COUNTY THROUGH 145 PM
CDT...
At 1255 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a cluster of strong
thunderstorms near Los Fresnos High School, or near Los Fresnos,
moving south at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Harlingen, San Benito, Los Fresnos, Rancho Viejo, Rio Hondo, Arroyo
City, Southmost, Olmito, Port Of Brownsville, and Cameron Park.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate Highway 69 E between mile markers 1 and 22.
US Highway 281 between mile markers 826 and 838.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
&&
LAT...LON 2586 9741 2584 9741 2585 9745 2588 9746
2589 9752 2592 9753 2601 9765 2602 9764
2602 9766 2632 9767 2630 9753 2633 9751
2633 9745 2636 9743 2638 9734 2612 9727
2593 9731 2591 9737 2587 9736 2584 9740
TIME...MOT...LOC 1755Z 346DEG 8KT 2608 9741
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
68The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 10 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:17 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A public report of mixed small and large tree (limbs) occurred in north Brownsville near Cameron Park.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2025
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: 1266369.