Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Brownsville, TX

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068 FXUS64 KBRO 250538 AAB AFDBRO Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Brownsville TX 1238 AM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Wednesday night) Issued at 319 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2024 Through this evening...Very localized convection has fired up in southern Cameron County...right over Brownsville. Convective- allowing models (CAMs) are not too bullish on too much additional development beyond this area...will need to keep an eye a bit farther west along the river but that`s about it. Better activity in the Gulf should stay there due to sea breeze stability over the coastal/near coastal areas. Model blends actually show this fairly well and updated the forecast to cover...with a pocket of likely where it`s raining now and lower (isolated/scattered) elsewhere inland except for the upper Valley/Rio Grande Plains. Another area to watch is Kenedy/Brooks which is closer to an area of higher coverage of showers this afternoon. For tonight, skies will clear as they have in recent nights and winds will lay down to near calm. The one exception is late at night near the coast, as another round of isolated to scattered showers over the Gulf should edge toward shore. There are some hints of deeper moisture (compared with recent nights) so could see a few more late night clouds inland...but this is not explicitly forecast right now. Temperatures will be largely unchanged from recent overnights...plenty muggy with morning lows in the mid to upper 70s. For Wednesday...models have backed down a bit with rain chances and QPF...but as northwest flow aloft becomes established by late in the day we`ll need to watch the approach of a shear axis on the tail of the actual trough which dives into the lower Mississippi Valley toward evening. For now...maintained mainly sea-breeze driven convection, pulling the rain chances away from the nearshore/coastal areas by mid to late afternoon which is common. Temperatures and heat index should be similar to today except if/when/where it rains. The aforementioned shear axis moves across the region overnight and the forecast could be a bit tricky. Global models are diurnally bearish...but CAMs are a bit more bullish including the HRRR and HRW which show band(s) along/just ahead of the wind shift (front) that is expected to pass and bring drier (lower humidity) conditions beginning Thursday. Exactly where any stronger cells may develop is unclear but the threat is there. For now a stripe of 20-30 percent chances moving from north to south through the night, which should exit the U.S. between 4 and 7 AM, if not sooner. The onset of the drier air will filter across the northern ranchlands and perhaps reach the RGV by daybreak on slightly increased northerly winds...and low temperatures will end up near seasonal averages (70 to lower 70s) by daybreak. Lastly, as Tropical Cyclone Helene moves toward the Yucatan Channel and begins its potential rapid intensification cycle overnight Wednesday, coastal impacts may be delayed until the start of Thursday (long term period). That said, tides remain well above predicted levels...which are in "King" Tide mode and among the highest levels of the calendar year. However, the lack of wave energy should keep coastal flooding (i.e. water up to the dunes) out of the picture at the early Wednesday morning high tide...and probably just out of the picture before daybreak Thursday though we`ll need to keep tabs for a possible Coastal Flood Statement then, before we begin to consider Advisories Thursday into Friday due to the back swell from Helene. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through next Tuesday) Issued at 319 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2024 Key Messages: -Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene to have little impact to Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande valley. -A cold front will move through the region late week bringing a bit of relief from the oppressive heat. The main story and impact to Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley for the long term period will be the approach and passing of a cold front. On Thursday, a midlevel low pressure system located across the middle Mississippi Valley will begin to ingest what will be Hurricane Helene and cause the aforementioned low to linger across the middle/lower Mississippi Valley through the end of the week. The low finally drifts northeast through the weekend and into early next week with high pressure returning to Deep South Texas a dry conditions into early week. At the surface the aforementioned low will drag a cold front through the CWA Thursday. Forecast CAPE values remain around 1000 J/kg and PWATs between 1.50 and 1.75 inches on Thursday morning we could see some isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms with the potential for some brief heavy rainfall in spots as the front moves through the CWA. Rain chances will be confined to the lower Valley and along the coast with POPs under 30%. In wake of the FROPA, much drier air will filter into the region. Along the coast, the combination of the frontal passage and the arrival of long period swell from Helene will result in increased wave heights and adverse beach conditions Thursday and Friday. Enhanced rip current risk and minor coastal flooding will be possible at beaches along the Lower Texas Coast. As for temperatures, we won`t see much relief from the warm temperatures (in some respects) with highs remaining in the low to mid 90s, but with less humidity and lower dewpoints heat indices will stay below 100 degrees through the forecast period. && .AVIATION...
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(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1233 AM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 Predominantly VFR conditions are expected through the period. Some isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible late this morning and this afternoon. Any showers or thunderstorms that move over an airfield may briefly drop conditions to MVFR levels.
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&& .MARINE...
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Issued at 319 PM CDT Tue Sep 24 2024 Now through Wednesday Night: Outside of Isolated to scattered convection, light winds and slight seas will be the rule through most of the period through Wednesday. Wednesday evening will be fine as well, but conditions could begin deteriorating overnight, first from a small chance (10 to 20 percent) of a band of showers/embedded thunderstorms to press south through the waters during the late evening through post Thursday through Monday...What will be Hurricane Helene and the passage of a cold front will likely lead somewhat adverse conditons to start the period. As a cold front moves through the waters off the lower Texas coast on Thursday, isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible along with increased winds Thursday into Friday. At the same time swell from Helene will arrive on Thursday as well leading to elevated seas, most likely on the offshore Gulf waters. Small Craft Should Exercise Caution headlines or Small Craft Advisories may be needed for the Gulf waters Thursday and Friday as wave heights look to reach 6-7 feet. Seas are expected to subside over the weekend, with favorable marine conditions prevailing through the remainder of the period. midnight hours. Soon after, winds turn northerly and increase toward 15 knots...while at the same time the first note of easterly swell and building seas may arrive in 20-60 nm leg before daybreak. For now...seas are forecast to increase to near 4 feet at that time, likely a combination of wind wave and early arrival of easterly swell. Thursday through Monday...What will be Hurricane Helene and the passage of a cold front will likely lead somewhat adverse conditons to start the period. As a cold front moves through the waters off the lower Texas coast on Thursday, isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible along with increased winds Thursday into Friday. At the same time swell from Helene will arrive on Thursday as well leading to elevated seas, most likely on the offshore Gulf waters. Small Craft Should Exercise Caution headlines or Small Craft Advisories may be needed for the Gulf waters Thursday and Friday as wave heights look to reach 6-7 feet. Seas are expected to subside over the weekend, with favorable marine conditions prevailing through the remainder of the period.
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&& .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
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BROWNSVILLE 75 89 69 90 / 30 30 0 0 HARLINGEN 71 90 66 92 / 30 20 0 0 MCALLEN 75 94 70 95 / 30 10 0 0 RIO GRANDE CITY 73 92 67 95 / 30 10 0 0 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 79 86 75 87 / 40 30 10 0 BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 74 87 69 89 / 40 20 0 0
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&& .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. GM...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...52 LONG TERM....68 AVIATION...60-BE