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National Weather Service outlines four persistent hazards for Rio Grande Valley and urges regional resilience
Summary
At a Harlingen meeting, Barry Goldsmith of the National Weather Service told regional leaders that flooding, drought, heat and wind are the Valley’s persistent hazards and urged coordinated drainage projects, water-resource diversification and preparedness ahead of hurricane season.
Barry Goldsmith, National Weather Service Rio Grande Valley office warning coordination bureau host, told local officials and agencies in Harlingen that the region faces four persistent hazards—flooding from intense rainfall, drought, heat and wind—and stressed that both forecasting improvements and physical resilience investments are needed to reduce impacts.
Goldsmith framed the risk around recent extreme events, including what he described as an estimated 20–21 inches of rain that fell in about 12 hours in Harlingen during the March 2025 event. “Do not do not do not use the term 100 year flood, please,” he said, arguing that calling an event “100-year” gives people a false sense of security because similar extreme floods have occurred repeatedly since 2018.
Why it matters: Goldsmith said repeated high-impact rain events, combined with rapid urban…
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