October was a month dominated by hot and breezy weather, punctuated by teases of fronts, the first around Columbus Day. A persistent ridge of high pressure that typically settles across northern Mexico from mid to late summer held firm through October before being nudged into the Pacific near Baja California. This ridge kept significant fronts from moving very far south into Texas, while maintaining unseasonably warm temperatures and mainly dry conditions across Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley the first two weeks of the month. The first teaser cold front moved across the region on Columbus Day and provided welcome rain across coastal sections of Willacy and Cameron counties, with nearly 2 inches (1.94 inches) falling at the Cameron County Airport, near Bayview. The area generally west of Highway 281 recorded little to no rainfall during those weeks and average temperatures continued above normal.
Improvements in Drought - by one category - appeared across the Rio Grande Plains/Ranchlands of Jim Hogg and Zapata County by the 2nd, courtesy of very heavy rains just before the end of September.  These improvements would hold through October before worsening in November. Other slight improvements would appear near the Lower Valley Coast, courtesy of torrential rains on the 7th, 12th/13th, and 18th.
The areas generally west of Highway 281 recorded little or no rainfall.  Most locations would finish among the top 10 driest.  Unseasonably warm temperatures continued through the month of October across Deep South Texas. October 18th was the hottest October day all time across many locations across the Rio Grande Valley; high temperatures away from the coast soared above 100, including a blistering 108 at La Joya. Temperatures lowered into the upper 80s to lower 90s on the 19th, but quickly recovered back into the 90s in all areas until the 25th. Much cooler temperatures were felt on the 26th as the first significant cold front of the season made its way through Deep South Texas. The cold front allowed temperatures to drop to below to near normal, but did nothing to improve the drought on a large scale basis.

Drought in ZAPATA, TEXAS
From 02-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 31-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Little to no rain fell across Zapata County during October. This combined with above normal temperatures allowed the vast majority of the the county to remain in Severe (D2) drought conditions.  The far NW corner of the county remained in moderate (D1) drought conditions.

Drought in STARR, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 31-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Welcome rains at the end of September across the ranches of northeast Starr County helped nudge the area of Extreme (D3) drought into the southeast corner of the county.  Otherwise, with little or no rain across Starr County during October, the southeast corner of the county remained in Extreme (D3) drought conditions,  while the NE portion of the county dipped to Severe (D2) drought on the 2nd and remained there.  The western half of the county remained in less severe drought conditions, with the northwest corner of the county in Moderate (D1) drought conditions and the southwest corner, which remained in decent shape after some rain through the summer, in abnormally dry conditions.

Drought in JIM HOGG, TEXAS
From 02-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 31-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers on the 11th were a welcome relief after a generally dry start to the month. Rain fall was spotty and light across Jim Hogg county thereafter, with Hebbronville recording 0.24 inches of rain.  However, this rainfall did little to alleviate drought conditions across Jim Hogg County. The county remained split in half, the southwest half of the county in Severe (D2) drought conditions, while the northeast half of the county remained in Extreme ( D3) drought conditions.

Drought in BROOKS, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 31-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers on the 12th dropped 0.50 inches of rain in Falfurrias, and allowed for a temporary respite from the overall dry conditions of October. A majority of the county received little or no rainfall. The limited precipitation did little to alleviate the drought conditions across the County.   The great majority of the county remained entrenched in Exceptional (D4) drought conditions, while the far SW corner of the county remained in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.

Drought in HIDALGO, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 31-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers and thunderstorms provided spotty rain fall across Hidalgo county during October, and was no match for the 2012 Drought.  Rain fall amounts ranged from nothing at all to a little more than half an inch in Mercedes on the 13th. Scattered thunderstorms on the 18th in eastern Hidalgo County provided virtually no relief, as dry and hot weather quickly evaporated any rainfall before the water could soak into parched soil. All of the county except for the NE corner remained deeply entrenched in Extreme (D3) drought conditions. Exceptional (D4) drought conditions remained ever present in the NE corner of the county.

Drought in CAMERON, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 08-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Portions of Cameron County received rainfall during the first half of the month. Several days of seabreeze convection combined with the first cold front of the month resulted in precipitation totals of 0.15 inches in Harlingen at the Rio Grande Valley International Airport and 0.21 inches in Brownsville at the Brownsville/ South Padre Island International Airport. Heavier rainfall, in excess of two inches on the 7th and 12th across the eastern third of the county, allowed drought conditions to improve from Extreme (D3) drought conditions to Severe (D2) drought conditions across the eastern half of the county. The western two thirds of the county remained in Extreme (D3) drought conditions.

Drought in COASTAL CAMERON, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 08-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Coastal Cameron County received significant rainfall during the first half of the month, thanks to seabreeze convection and a cold front.  Almost 2 inches of rain (1.94) fell at the Cameron County Airport in Bayview on October 7th. This was followed by more rain on the 12th and 13th totaling almost another inch (.91 inches).  This rain allowed Coastal Cameron County to experience overall improvement in drought conditions, as the area went from Extreme (D3) drought conditions to Severe (D2) drought conditions beginning on the 9th.

Drought in WILLACY, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 22-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers fell across Willacy County during the first third of the month, with Raymondville receiving 0.15 inches of rain. A band of heavy thunderstorms on the 7th largely missed Willacy County and slammed eastern Cameron; some drought relieving rains wouldn't arrive in the county until October 18th. Drought conditions did not improve for the area and remained at Extreme (D3) levels.

Drought in COASTAL WILLACY, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 22-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers and thunderstorms dropped spotty rain across Coastal Willacy County during the first half of the month. Port Mansfield recorded 0.12 inches of rain during the first half of the month, while areas just south of the Cameron/Willacy County line toward the coast saw greater amounts, as was evidenced by the almost 2 inches of rain that fell in Bayview.  The spotty rainfall through the first 17 days of the month kept Coastal Willacy County mired in Extreme (D3) drought, with a slight improvement to D2 (Severe) just north of the Cameron/Willacy line along the Laguna Madre.

Drought in KENEDY, TEXAS
From 01-OCT-12 00:00:00 to 30-OCT-12 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Isolated showers and thunderstorms did little to alleviate the drought conditions across Kenedy County;  a co-op site in Sarita recorded 0.07 inches of rain on the 13th. All of the county remained in Extreme (D3) drought conditions, except for a sliver of Exceptional (D4) drought conditions along the far western county boundary. Conditions would worsen across more of the county just before month's end.