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
|
|