WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
409 AM CST WED JAN 3 2001

...WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS SUMMARY FOR 2000...

...WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO...
...TIED FOR THE 9TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR ABILENE...

THE EFFECTS OF LA NINA...WHICH PREVAILED IN 1999...CONTINUED INTO THE YEAR 
2000. THIS HELPED TO BRING A CONTINUATION OF UNUSUALLY WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS 
TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS THROUGH ABOUT THE FIRST 9 MONTHS OF THE YEAR. 
HOWEVER...THE LA NINA PATTERN BROKE DOWN BY AUTUMN...AND A MAJOR CHANGE TO A 
COOLER AND WETTER PATTERN OCCURRED DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF THE YEAR.    

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 2000 WAS 66.4 
DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 
64.6 DEGREES. THIS TIED FOR THE 9TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR ABILENE. TOTAL 
PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 22.15 INCHES. THIS WAS 2.25 INCHES BELOW THE 
NORMAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION OF 24.40 INCHES.   

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 2000 WAS 
67.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 
OF 64.9 DEGREES. THIS MARKED THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR  SAN ANGELO. TOTAL 
PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 15.19 INCHES. THIS WAS 5.26 INCHES BELOW THE 
NORMAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION OF 20.45 INCHES.  

LITTLE RAINFALL OCCURRED FROM JANUARY THROUGH MARCH...WHILE TEMPERATURES WERE 
MUCH ABOVE NORMAL. SAN ANGELO RECORDED ITS WARMEST FEBRARY...6TH WARMEST 
MARCH...AND 9TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD. ABILENE RECORDED ITS 4TH WARMEST 
FEBRUARY. 

THE WARMER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS IN THE SPRING REDUCED THE AMOUNT 
OF SEVERE WEATHER IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...BUT SOME SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER 
DID OCCUR. THE TOWN OF ELBERT AND THROCKMORTON COUNTY WERE AMONG THE HARDEST 
HIT LOCATIONS. ON APRIL 30 A TORNADO TRACKED EAST ACROSS THROCKMORTON 
COUNTY...PASSING THROUGH ELBERT. THIS TORNADO CAUSED SOME DAMAGE...BUT 
FORTUNATELY NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES. VERY LARGE HAIL TO SOFTBALL SIZE 
OCCURRED IN ELBERT ON APRIL 15TH...WHILE BASEBALL SIZE HAIL FELL ON ELBERT ON 
MAY 26TH. TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS ALSO OCCURRED IN MAY 26TH IN THROCKMORTON AND 
HASKELL COUNTIES. ON MAY 27TH A SEVERE STORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS STRUCK OH 
IVIE RESERVOIR...DURING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. THIS STORM RESULTED IN ONE 
FATALITY...SEVERAL INJURIES...AND OVERTURNED ABOUT A DOZEN BOATS.  

THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR FOR BOTH ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO OCCURRED 
ON MAY 24TH...WHEN 109 DEGREES WAS REACHED. THIS SET A NEW RECORD HIGH 
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY AT ABILENE...AND TIED THE RECORD HIGH FOR MAY 
AT SAN ANGELO. 

A TEMPORARY CHANGE TO WETTER CONDITIONS OCCURRED IN JUNE...AND SEVERAL INCHES 
OF RAIN BROUGHT SOME SHORT-TERM RELIEF TO THE DROUGHT STRICKEN REGION. 
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OCURRED IN BROWNWOOD...AND IN SCHLEICHER COUNTY NEAR 
ELDORADO. 

VERY DRY AND HOT WEATHER TOOK HOLD AGAIN BY JULY...AND PERSISTED  
THROUGH EARLY SEPTEMBER. PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTHS OF JULY AND AUGUST 
RANKED AMONG THE TOP 10 DRIEST ON RECORD FOR ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO. IN 
ADDITION...SAN ANGELO HAD ITS 4TH WARMEST JULY WHILE ABILENE RECORDED ITS 6TH 
WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD. A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF  
SEPTEMBER WAS ESTABLISHED IN ABILENE...WHEN 107 DEGREES WAS REACHED ON 
SEPTEMBER 5TH. ABILENE ALSO RECORDED ITS SECOND LONGEST DRY SPELL ON RECORD OF 
72 DAYS...WHEN NO RAIN FELL BETWEEN JUNE 29TH AND SEPTEMBER 12TH.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS DURING THE YEAR IN WHICH HIGH TEMPERATURES REACHED 
100 DEGREES OR MORE AT ABILENE WAS 40. FOR SAN ANGELO...HIGH TEMPERATURES 
REACHED 100 DEGREES OR MORE ON 38 DAYS DURING THE YEAR. 

AS THE LA NINA PATTERN BROKE DOWN...A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO A WETTER AND 
COOLER PATTERN DEVELOPED DURING OCTOBER AND PERSISTED THROUGH NOVEMBER. THIS 
BROUGHT SHORT-TERM RELIEF TO THE EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WHICH HAD 
PREVAILED OVER THE REGION FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. ALTHOUGH HEAVY 
RAINFALL DURING OCTOBER ALLOWED AREA RESERVOIRS TO GAIN WATER...IT ALSO CAUSED 
FLASH FLOODING AT SOME LOCATIONS. ABILENE RECORDED ITS 6TH WETTEST OCTOBER ON 
RECORD. PRECIPITATON TOTALS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER RANKED AMONG THE TOP TEN 
WETTEST ON RECORD FOR BOTH ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO. ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO ALSO 
RECORDED THEIR 4TH COOLEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. 

WINTER WEATHER MADE AN EARLY APPEARANCE ON NOVEMBER 8TH...AS AN UPPER LEVEL 
STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SNOW TO MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL 
OF 5 TO 8 INCHES OCCURRED OVER THE WESTERN BIG COUNTRY. ABILENE REPORTED 3.5 
INCHES OF SNOW...WHILE SAN ANGELO RECORDED 3 INCHES. FOR SAN ANGELO...THE SNOW 
ON NOVEMBER 8TH TIED A RECORD FOR THE EARLIEST DATE IN THE SEASON WHEN 
MEASURABLE SNOW FELL.  

COLDER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS CONTINUED IN DECEMBER ACROSS THE REGION...AND 
WINTRY WEATHER OCCURRED ON SOME DAYS DURING THE MONTH. ABILENE RECORDED ITS 
5TH COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...WHILE SAN ANGELO HAD ITS 8TH COLDEST 
DECEMBER. UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO PARTS OF 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS DURING DECEMBER. ONE STORM 
SYSTEM BROUGHT MOSTLY FREEZING RAIN WITH PATCHY SNOW ON THE 12TH AND 13TH. 
ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN TO CENTRAL AND NORTHERN 
SECTIONS DECEMBER 25TH TO 27TH...WITH AROUND ONE INCH OF SNOW IN THE BIG 
COUNTRY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS WERE SIGNIFICANT FROM BOTH OF THESE STORM 
SYSTEMS...CAUSING HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.