Lightning — Refugio, Texas

2016-03-09 · near Refugio, Refugio, Texas

Event narrative

Lightning struck a 200 barrel oil storage tank on North Swift Street creating a large oil fire. Multiple emergency vehicles were required to contain the fire.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving upper level low along with plentiful moisture and a strong low level jet produced strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall over portions of South Texas during the late evening of March 8th and early morning hours of March 9th. Severe thunderstorms impacted the coastal counties of South Texas around daybreak, with the storms producing damaging straight-line winds. Persistent very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding over the southern Coastal Bend where six or more inches of rain fell in 2 to 3 hours.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (28.3228, -97.2767)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 624905. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.