National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Map of rainfall across the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas, February 18-19, 2010 (click to enlarge)
More Soaking Rains in the Lower RGV
Late Winter Disturbance Brings More February Wetness

Overview
Another fairly robust upper level disturbance tracked along the continued active subtropical jet stream during mid February and induced a feed of tropical moisture which lifted over a relatively cool surface air mass, spreading steady light to moderate rains across the Lower Rio Grande Valley beginning around midday on the 18th and continuing through midday on the 19th. Highest event rainfall was confined to the immediate coast, where bands of showers early on the 19th added to the prior totals from the steadier rains on the 18th. More than 2 inches fell right along the coast just north of the Rio Grande, shading back to an inch or less across the Middle RGV northward and westward to the Upper Valley and Rio Grande Plains, where lack of considerable low level moisture kept rain totals down.

The rains added to significant totals earlier in February to push monthly rainfall departures to 3 to 4 inches above the 30–year average in much of eastern Cameron County. For the winter (December 2009 to February 2010), rainfall departures of 6 to 8 inches above the 30–year average were common across the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Preliminary rainfall, February 18th to 19th, 2010
Location County Rainfall
South Padre Island
Cameron
2.54
Laguna Atascosa NWR
Cameron
2.07
Bayview/Cameron Co. Arpt
Cameron
1.90
Los Fresnos
Cameron
1.85
Rancho Viejo
Cameron
1.75
San Benito 5.0 SSE
Cameron
1.74
Brownsville 4.1 E
Cameron
1.55
Harlingen/Cooperative
Cameron
1.47
Rio Hondo 9.4 NE
Cameron
1.39
Brownsville SPI Intl Arpt
Cameron
1.28
San Manuel/Linn Lower RGV NWR
Hidalgo
1.12
Sarita
Kenedy
1.11
4 ESE Linn (Climate Ref. Network)
Hidalgo
1.07
Alamo 1.5 NNE
Hidalgo
1.07
Weslaco Cooperative
Hidalgo
1.04
Mercedes
Hidalgo
1.01
McCook
Hidalgo
0.99
La Joya
Hidalgo
0.98
Pharr 5.1 N
Hidalgo
0.93
Armstrong
Kenedy
0.87
La Joya 11.1 N
Hidalgo
0.85
Raymondville
Willacy
0.77
Mission 1.9 ENE
Hidalgo
0.75
McAllen/Miller Arpt
Hidalgo
0.73
Edinburg Int'l Arpt
Hidalgo
0.73
Rio Grande City
Starr
0.72
Port Mansfield
Willacy
0.69
Falcon Dam
Zapata
0.65
Brooks Co. Arpt (Falfurrias)
Brooks
0.51
Jim Hogg Co. Arpt (Hebbronville)
Jim Hogg
0.16