Power Outage in Hebbronville, TX

The Jim Hogg County Sheriff's Office in Hebbronville reported a glaze of ice on elevated surfaces on some power outages from freezing rain and some sleet falling at air temperatures below 32 degrees, around noon. Minimal additional impacts were reported.

Jim Hogg County EM reported powerlines down over the roadway in Hebbronville.

One eigth to one quarter inch diameter glazing was reported on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, etc.) early on February 4th. Ice accretion was estimated to begin between noon and 3 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 8 and 10 PM CST. Significant damage was not reported as the precipitation fell as a mist for nearly the entire event. ||The glaze ice, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren. Temperatures dipping into the mid 20s toward the end of the event froze water on non elevated road surfaces, making driving conditions treacherous during the early morning of the 4th.

A tornado was reported in the Hebbronville area by the border patrol and public.|A tornado touched down in the Hebbronville area just after 5 pm, flipping a tractor trailer, uprooting trees, snapping large limbs, and causing a gas leak. The tornado knocked out power to at least 1762 AEP Power customers, more than half of the town. The tornado formed along a remnant shear axis left behind after Hurricane Alex dissipated in Mexico. The elevated humidity levels combined with daytime heating and low to mid level turbulence likely contributed to the development of the tornado producing thunderstorm.||A preliminary assessment of damages in Hebbronville indicated areas of EF-1 (85 to 105 mph) winds. The EF-1 damages occurred in the central and southeast areas of Hebbronville into the center of town, EF-0 damages occurred from the center of town to areas northwest of town which included areas around Hebbronville High School. ||The tornado formed to the southeast of Hebbronville between 450 and 5 pm. The tornado crossed State Highway 285 about 1/2 mile east of the intersection with State Highway 16, and entered a Texas Department of Transportation maintenance yard, tearing a section off a roof and collapsing a section of a metal parking area. It continued to the north northwest into a residential area, taking the roof off one modular home, snapping several power poles, rolling a mobile home onto its roof, and damaging numerous mesquite trees. The tornado continued moving northwest toward downtown and knocked down numerous power lines, then struck a grocery store and blew a billboard onto a few parked cars. A loaded tractor trailer was rolled onto its roof and against the grocery store. The tornado then moved north northwest, causing lesser tree damage along Maria and Frans Avenues. The weakening tornado crossed over a school, with no notable damage. It then moved by Hebbronville High School���s Gruy stadium, bending a goalpost and knocking over some fencing around tennis courts just west of the school campus. The tornado then lifted, with no damage noted beyond this location.||Considerable damage was rated EF-1 from the southeast side of Hebbronville until reaching downtown, with wind speeds of 90 to 100 mph. EF-0 damage (below 85 mph) was seen from northwest of downtown to the area around the high school.

Law enforcement reported that several power poles were struck by lightning late Wednesday evening throughout Hebbronville and western Jim Hogg County.

Law enforcement reported that four utility poles were toppled by strong gusty winds which occurred during a squall line which moved through Hebbronville late Wednesday evening June 2nd. There was a brief power loss affecting the entire city of Hebbronville as a result of the utility pole damages. At 834 PM CST, the public reported estimated gusts of 50 mph on the leading edge of the line. At Hebbronville Airport (about 4 miles northwest of town), a peak gust of 38 mph was recorded at 820 PM CST.

Impacts from Dolly in Jim Hogg County were relatively minor, as was common for locations that were initially in the northern and eastern eyewall, which was significantly lower in intensity than the southern and western eyewall from which most of the damaging winds and flooding rains were produced in the populated areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. ||However, a period of sustained tropical storm force winds likely affected a good portion of the county as the collapsing center moved from near the four corners of Jim Hogg, Hidalgo, Brooks, and Starr County northwest through western Jim Hogg County generally during the pre dawn hours of the 24th, moving just southwest of Hebbronville before edging along the Jim Hogg/Zapata County line before heading quickly into Webb County soon after daybreak. ||Winds likely increased to 35 to 45 mph sustained, with gusts likely between 50 and 60 mph, very near the track within the weakening inner eyewall, beginning around 1030 PM CDT on the 23rd, and continuing until mid morning on the 24th near Hebbronville, before conditions improved. A peak wind gust of 47 knots, or 54 mph, was recorded at 9:25 AM on the 24th, with sustained winds of 33 knots, or 38 mph, just below tropical storm strength, at the Jim Hogg County Airport just northwest of Hebbronville. There were an unknown number of power outages across the county, as well as some minor damage, most likely to tree limbs, power lines, and poorly built structures.

A surge of sustained winds near 40 mph with estimated gusts perhaps up to 61 mph knocked down several trees or large limbs across the northern half of the county, including Hebbronville. Local power outages likely occurred in the area as well; the sharp wind gusts also caused a wild fire just northwest of town to explosively spread. Measured sustained winds at the Jim Hogg County/Hebbronville Airport were 38 mph, with gusts to 53 mph, at 6:05 CST.

The fire department in Hebbronville reported that winds around 60 mph blew down power lines in the south side of Hebbronville. Residents suffered power outages of nearly 2 hours.