WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
940 AM CST WED JAN 2 2008

...PRECIPITATION WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN DECEMBER...

ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR
DECEMBER WAS LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL. ALTHOUGH A FEW
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN AND WESTERN BIG COUNTRY AND
NORTHWESTERN CONCHO VALLEY RECEIVED ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF
PRECIPITATION...MUCH OF THE REST OF THE REGION RECEIVED LESS
THAN ONE HALF INCH. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
FOR DECEMBER.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
DECEMBER WAS 46.1 DEGREES. THIS WAS 0.7 DEGREES ABOVE THE
NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 45.4 DEGREES. TOTAL
PRECIPITATION FOR ABILENE IN DECEMBER WAS 0.37 INCHES. THIS
WAS 0.90 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 1.27 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR DECEMBER WAS 47.8 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE
THE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 46.4 DEGREES. TOTAL
PRECIPITATION FOR SAN ANGELO IN DECEMBER WAS ONLY 0.18 INCHES.
THIS WAS 0.76 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.94 INCHES.


DECEMBER 2007 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

GUSTY SOUTH WINDS OCCURRED ON THE 1ST...OUT AHEAD OF A STORM SYSTEM
WHICH DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. A PEAK GUST OF 45
MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT. THE WEATHER
PATTERN WAS TRANQUIL ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF
DECEMBER.

A STRONG COLD FRONT DROPPED SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE
8TH. MUCH COLDER AIR FILTERED DOWN INTO THE AREA ON THE 9TH AND
REMAINED THROUGH THE 10TH. AS A STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPED OVER THE
SOUTHWESTERN STATES...MOISTURE RIDING UP AND OVER THE COLD AIRMASS
RESULTED IN AREAS OF FOG AND DRIZZLE. AS TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE
NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY AND BIG COUNTRY DROPPED TO JUST BELOW
FREEZING...ICY PATCHES AND SLICK SPOTS DEVELOPED ON THE AREA
ROADWAYS. A FEW SHOWERS OF FREEZING RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
ALSO OCCURRED. THE FREEZING PRECIPITATION AND SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS
RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS...ESPECIALLY ALONG
INTERSTATE 20 IN NOLAN...TAYLOR AND CALLAHAN COUNTIES. THE FOG WAS
DENSE AT TIMES...REDUCING THE VISIBILITY TO ONE QUARTER OF A MILE
OR LESS.

WARMER AIR BRIEFLY MOVED BACK INTO THE REGION BY THE 11TH. ANOTHER
COLD FRONT MOVED DOWN ACROSS THE AREA ON THE 12TH. WITH THE SLOW
APPROACH OF THE STORM SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES...
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE 11TH AND
12TH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN
INCH...BUT SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY AND
WESTERN BIG COUNTRY RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND THREE QUARTERS
OF AN INCH.

WINDY AND MUCH COLDER CONDITIONS OCCURRED AFTER A STRONG COLD
FRONTAL PASSAGE EARLY ON THE 15TH. LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER
TEENS TO LOWER 20S WERE RECORDED ON THE 16TH...AS A COLD HIGH
PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTLED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

THE WEATHER PATTERN WAS TRANQUIL FROM THE 17TH THROUGH 21ST. DRY
AIRMASSES OCCUPIED THE REGION WITH CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES.
THIS ALLOWED FOR LARGE SWINGS IN TEMPERATURE BETWEEN DAYTIME HIGHS
AND NIGHTTIME LOWS (30 TO 40 DEGREES IN SOME CASES).

AS A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED FROM THE SOUTHERN
ROCKIES INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...A STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHED THROUGH
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 22ND. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS FOLLOWED
PASSAGE OF THIS COLD FRONT. SAN ANGELO RECORDED A PEAK WIND GUST OF
45 MPH FROM THE WEST ON THE 21ST...AND 43 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON
THE 22ND. JUNCTION RECORDED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 43 MPH ON THE 22ND.
AT ABILENE...A PEAK GUST OF 39 MPH OCCURRED ON THE 22ND.

LATE IN THE MONTH...A FEW DRY COLD FRONTAL PASSAGES OCCURRED. HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE REGION BEHIND EACH COLD FRONT BROUGHT
REINFORCEMENTS OF DRY AND COOLER AIR. THIS SETUP BROUGHT COLD
NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES. LOWS DIPPED INTO THE UPPER TEENS TO LOWER
20S ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION ON SEVERAL NIGHTS. SAN ANGELO RECORDED
A RECORD LOW OF 17 DEGREES ON THE 27TH.

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