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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Brownsville TX
1235 PM CDT Mon May 1 2023

...NWS Damage Surveys for April 29th Lower/Mid Valley 
Thunderstorm Wind Event Finds 70 to 85 mph Estimated Peak Gusts...

.Update...This is an update of the preliminary survey issued on 
Saturday evening April 29th.

.Overview...A rapidly developing and accelerating squall line
raced through the populated Lower Rio Grande Valley region of
Texas, initially producing large hail up to golfball size in
southern Zapata and southwestern Starr County before evolving
into the squall line that produced wind damage from southern Starr
County through southern portions of Hidalgo and Cameron County.
The initial hail reports occurred from 1005 PM through 1130 PM
April 28th, with the swath of wind damage occurring between 1130 
PM April 28th and 130 AM April 29th.

Significant wind damage began near La Joya and Sullivan City
(Hidalgo County) near the Starr County line just after midnight
April 29th, continuing through Penitas, then the population 
centers of Mission, McAllen and Pharr, before moving toward the 
Rio Grande and impacting locations south of Donna, Weslaco, and 
Mercedes. The core of the significant wind tracked along the Rio 
Grande in southwestern Cameron County before weakening along and 
south of the river by 130 AM.

Lesser, but still notable, damage occurred along Interstate
Highway 2 between Weslaco and Harlingen, as well as in Brownsville
(Cameron County).

Twp survey teams investigated the damage from Mission in Hidalgo
County through southwest Cameron County along the Rio Grande.
Those results are described below. Due to time constraints, the 
survey teams were unable to look at damage in extreme southwest 
Hidalgo County between Sullivan City and Penitas.

Damage from the macroburst was extensive. Hundreds of buildings,
many of substandard construction, had damage to roofs, siding,
metal doors, and soffits. Several poorly anchored or poorly
constructed buildings collapsed. Dozens, if not hundreds, of 
power poles and power lines were damaged or blown down, and 
preliminary estimates indicated somewhere between 150 and 200 
thousand regional customers lost power during the height of the 
storm. Thousands of healthy hard and softwood tree limbs fell, and
hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. 

Damage to buildings, infrastructure, and trees/crops is likely to
be in the tens of millions of dollars, if not more. Those details
will be available at a later date.


Thunderstorm Wind 1:  McAllen to Progresso, Hidalgo County Texas...

Peak Wind /E/: 75 to 85 mph
Path Length /statute/:  25.8 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   6 miles 
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             Apr 29 2023
Start Time:             1223 AM CDT
Start Location:         1 NW Mission / Hidalgo TX
Start Lat/Lon:          26.2330 /-98.3990

End Date:               Apr_29_2023
End Time:               1253_AM CDT
End Location:           Progreso / Hidalgo TX
End Lat/Lon:            26.0950 / -97.9530


NWS Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley survey team #1's damage track
began along the Interstate Highway 2 (IH-2) frontage road just
east of Bryan Road in mission, where a large metal-pole billboard
was uprooted and cladding of a new warehouse was pulled off. Other
damage, not surveyed, in Mission included a partial roof and wall
collapse at a self-service car wash. 

Damage peaked across the City of McAllen, where some of the
highest ground-level wind speeds (85 mph) were estimated. The most
notable damage was found at McAllen's Miller International
Airport, where a tied-down Cessna was flipped, a Gulfstream jet
was turned, and a smaller aircraft was totaled. A fairly new TPO
flat roof system was lifted from a low-rise hotel about a half
mile east of the airport. The wind may have been higher at the 
elevation of the roof. Other notable surveyed damage included a 
flipped very large station canopy at 23rd and Lark, which had 
considerable rust on several connecting poles. Poorly anchored 
roofs were lifted off a number of buildings along and near 
Business 83, including to a local older motel. Asphalt and barrel-
tile shingles were lifted off several higher roofs at two or 
three story buildings across the survey track. Two 2x4 beams were 
blown from a rusting scaffold into the fiberglass of the cab of a 
city public works truck in north McAllen. Dozens of fallen wooden 
power poles were seen by the survey team, along with hundreds of 
fallen mesquite and live oak limbs and dozens of snapped or 
uprooted live oak, ash, and palm trees. Dozens of street signs 
supported by lightweight metal poles were bent to the ground, 
dozens of traffic light arms at about 15 to 20 feet above ground 
were turned, and dozens of vinyl/paper/plastic billboard signs, 
30 to 50 feet above ground, were blown out of their casings.

Damage continued into the City of Pharr, where several rips were 
noted in the retaining fence at a commercial golf range. Other
damage in Pharr and the south portions of the Cities of San Juan
and Alamo was not surveyed. The team surveyed neighborhoods north
of Military Highway (U.S. 281) from south Donna east to Progreso.
Additional tree and fence damage was common, but notable was a 
four-foot poorly anchored masonry wall was blown down in south 
Weslaco, and several well-built homes with shingle damage between
south Weslaco and the Rio Grande. 

Damage was highest to structures and roof coverings...largely 
substandard or not to appropriate specifications...exposed fully
to the downburst winds that came from the west-northwest. Nearly
all of the damage from Pharr to Progreso was estimated to be from
75 to 80 mph winds.



Thunderstorm Wind 2: Progreso (Hidalgo County Texas) to Los Indios (Cameron County Texas)...

Peak Wind /E/: 70 to 80 mph
Path Length /statute/:  16.2 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   1.52 miles
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             Apr 29 2023
Start Time:             1253 AM CDT
Start Location:         Progreso / Hidalgo TX
Start Lat/Lon:          26.0900 / -97.9500

End Date:               Apr 29 2023
End Time:               110 AM CDT
End Location:           1.8 E Los Indios / Cameron TX
End Lat/Lon:            26.0440 / -97.6990

NWS Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley survey team #2's damage track 
began in Progreso and continued along and near Military Highway
(U.S. 281) to just east of Los Indios in southwest Cameron County.
Peak winds were 70 to 75 mph from near Progreso toward the
Cameron/Hidalgo County line, but increased again to 75 to 80 mph
from the County line into Santa Maria and Los Indios. Damage
included a few more partial tin/light metal roofs lifted to a home
and a warehouse, at least a dozen snapped trees and many more 
large limbs, and one flipped tractor trailer. 

Survey team #2 also investigated scattered damage from Weslaco to
Harlingen, along IH-2. The damage included a automobile showroom
window blown out in Harlingen, and more vinyl/plastic business signs
blown out from their casings and additional tree and power
line/power pole damage. Wind estimates in these areas was 65 to 70
mph, a little bit above values recorded at NWS Automated Surface
Observation Stations and Automated Weather Observing Stations at
airports along and near this part of the survey.

&&

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in NWS
Storm Data.

$$

52-Goldsmith