Power Outage in Rio Grande City, TX

A small but severe thunderstorm, featuring a bow-shape on its front edge and containing small cores of microbursts, raced through southwest Starr County around 1030 PM CDT September 17th. One of those microbursts reached ground.||KRGV-TV-5 reported structural damage in the small community of Fronton (along the Rio Grande). Damage included at least two roofs torn off/peeled back, several fences blown down, power lines blown down, and numerous large mesquite and live oak limbs broken off trees.

One quarter to one half inch of sleet, combined with glaze ice, was reported on exposed surfaces (tree limbs, power lines, grasses, etc.) early on February 4th. Sleet accumulation and ice accretion was estimated to begin between 6 and 8 PM in the county, with accretions estimated to reach 1/8 inch, the local criteria for such an unusual event, between 10 PM February 3rd and Midnight February 4th CST. Significant damage was not reported.||Between midnight and 2 AM on the 4th, a thin band of snow developed downwind of Falcon Lake, dropping around an inch across Falcon Heights and bringing residents outside to build a very small snowman in an area that receives winter weather once in decades. The snow band was similar to lake effect snow stripes commonly seen downwind of the Great Lakes each winter.||The sleet, ice, and snow, combined with the long duration freeze, fully cured all ranchland (grasses, scrub brush, mesquite) turning all plantlife brown and barren. Temperatures dipping into the lower and mid 20s after the end of the event froze water on non elevated road surfaces, making driving conditions treacherous during the early morning of the 4th. Elevated road surfaces quickly glazed during the evening of the 3rd, requiring road closures.

Starr County experienced a long duration of impact from Dolly, particularly with persistent heavy rains from late afternoon and early evening on the 23rd, which continued right until late morning of the 24th, and dropped copious rainfall in portions of the county, with local high totals not too much below some of those reported or estimated in northern Cameron and southern Willacy Counties during the 23rd.||Much of central and northern Starr County was in the remnant southern and western eyewall, where winds were likely 35 to 45 mph with frequent gusts between 50 and 60 mph, particularly during the late evening of the 23rd and into the pre dawn hours of the 24th. Because most of the stronger winds remained north of the larger population areas along the Rio Grande, reported damage and power outages due to wind along was relatively minor.

Power lines down, and power outages, were reported across a large part of Starr County as a developing line of severe thunderstorms moved through. One of the strongest cells likely produced some of these power outages between Viboras and La Gloria along Farm-to-Market road 2686.

Power lines down, and power outages, were reported across a large part of Starr County as a developing line of severe thunderstorms moved through. One of the strongest cells likely produced some of these power outages between Viboras and La Gloria along Farm-to-Market road 2686.

Severe wind gusts associated with a thunderstorm downed power lines near Rio Grande City.