Don (2011)

A tropical depression formed from a westward-moving tropical wave on 27 July 2011 about 50 nautical miles northeast of Cancún, Mexico. It became Tropical Storm Don later that day and tracked west‑northwest across the central Gulf of Mexico under the influence of a subtropical ridge. Don reached peak strength on 29 July while centered roughly 345 nautical miles east‑southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, then weakened as convection diminished and environmental dry air and wind shear increased. The system made landfall in Texas and dissipated by 30 July.

Don made a single landfall around 0230 UTC 30 July on Padre Island National Seashore just northeast of Baffin Bay, Texas. At landfall the cyclone had weakened to a tropical depression with estimated maximum sustained winds near 30 kt (about 35 mph). The center moved inland, became a remnant low by 0600 UTC 30 July near Alice, Texas, and dissipated six hours later.

Maximum intensity for Don was estimated at 45 kt (about 52 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 997 mb on 29 July. This intensity was maintained for about 18 hours while the storm was well over the Gulf of Mexico, so Don was a moderate tropical storm at its peak rather than a hurricane.

Storm tide and surge along the Texas coast were generally small. Observed storm tide values reached about 2.5 ft above mean lower low water at locations including Bob Hall Pier (Corpus Christi, storm tide 2.54 ft, storm surge 1.89 ft), Galveston Bay Entrance North Jetty (2.53 ft), and Freeport Coast Guard station (2.46 ft). Rainfall totals were light over most coastal Texas, generally under 1 inch; the highest reported rain amount was 2.56 inches at Bay City, Texas. Other reported totals included 0.85 in at Hebbronville and 0.71 in at Brownsville.

There were no confirmed reports of damage or casualties associated with Don. The storm produced no reports of tropical‑storm‑force winds on land; the highest sustained wind at an official observing site was 30 kt (Laredo) and the highest gust was 36 kt (Waldron Field). Forecast and warning performance was relatively good for track and intensity: official track errors were below the 2006–2010 mean and intensity errors were lower than recent averages, though the storm’s initial formation was not well anticipated several days in advance.