Drought in Texas, January 6 to 31, 2026

Name: Drought in Texas, January 6 to 31, 2026
Start: 2026-01-06T00:00
End: 2026-01-31T23:59
Location: Texas

January 6 to 31, 2026 · NWS BRO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Near-record heat and lack of rainfall to begin January quickly allowed drought to worsen across portions of the upper Rio Grande Valley. Severe (Level 2) Drought expanded to cover most of the western half of southern Hidalgo, and the remainder of eastern Starr County, on January 6th.

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.

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

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.

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 Jan 5, 10:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Updated at 1024 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026
Patchy to areas of fog are expected to develop overnight, primarily across the Northern Ranchlands and Rio Grande Plains.
Above normal temperatures, with the potential for additional records to be broken, are expected into late week.
A cold front on Friday will bring temperatures back towards seasonal norms for the weekend.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 10:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1030 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026

...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1024 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026

 - Patchy to areas of fog are expected to develop overnight,
   primarily across the Northern Ranchlands and Rio Grande Plains.

 - Above normal temperatures, with the potential for additional
   records to be broken, are expected into late week.

 - A cold front on Friday will bring temperatures back towards
   seasonal norms for the weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1024 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026

Another round of fog is expected overnight due to elevated moisture
content and low winds. Patchy to areas of fog are expected across
the Ranchlands and in the Rio Grande Plains after midnight through
mid to late morning.

Will continue to see dry conditions and well above normal
temperatures as high pressure remains parked over the region. As
we head into mid to late week an upper level trough will swing
through the SW and northern Mexico with low pressure developing
over the Rockies. This will increase the pressure gradient across
the region leading to breezy conditions, especially along the
coast Wednesday night into Thursday. A cold front associated with
this system will move through the region on Friday with winds
increasing once again in its wake. The best news with this front
is temperatures will fall to near to just below seasonal norms for
the weekend. There is a low chance of precipitation, around 20%,
Saturday and Sunday.

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 1024 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026

MVFR conditions will prevail through the overnight hours. Light
winds and excess moisture will allow for patchy fog to develop.
Confidence is low on this affecting the aerodromes so did not add
to the TAF package. With that in mind, some brief IFR conditions
will be possible, especially around daybreak with any patchy fog
that develops. VFR conditions will return by mid morning.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 1024 PM CST Mon Jan 5 2026

Generally favorable marine conditions are expected into
mid week with seas of 2 to 3 feet and light to moderate southerly
wind. Conditions begin to deteriorate ahead of a frontal boundary by
Wednesday afternoon with Small Craft Exercise Caution. Small Craft
Advisories will be needed by Wednesday night into Thursday as the
pressure gradient continues to tighten, and again Friday night into
Saturday in response to strong winds and elevated seas in wake of a
cold front passage on Friday. Low rain chances (20% or less) return
this weekend.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BROWNSVILLE             67  84  67  83 /   0   0   0   0
HARLINGEN               64  86  63  86 /   0   0   0   0
MCALLEN                 66  87  66  88 /   0   0   0   0
RIO GRANDE CITY         61  86  64  88 /   0   0   0   0
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND      69  77  69  77 /   0   0   0   0
BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL     65  83  65  83 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
GM...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...68
LONG TERM....68
AVIATION...68

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, Southern Hidalgo County

When: January 6, 12:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Southern Hidalgo County forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 26.397, -98.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (Level 2) Drought expanded into most of the western third of Southern Hidalgo County on January 6th, and would continue through the end of the month with a slight expansion into the central portion of this region on the 13th, which would maintain through the 31st.

Drought, Starr

When: January 6, 12:00 AM CST to January 13, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Starr forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 26.562, -98.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe (Level 2) Drought expanded to cover all of eastern Starr County on January 6th; the combination of Severe Drought across all but the northwest third of the county (Extreme, or Level 3) Drought would continue through mid-month.

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

Every storm in Texas in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, January 2026

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: 1315220, 1315223.