WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
955 PM CST FRI FEB 06 2004

...PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS IN JANUARY...

THE PRECIPITATION CAME FROM A FEW STORM SYSTEMS WHICH MOVED INTO THE 
REGION.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY 
WAS 48.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.5 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 43.5 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY WAS 
1.65 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.68 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.97 
INCHES. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED IN ABILENE IN JANUARY.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY 
WAS 49.1 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 44.9 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY WAS 
1.37 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.55 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.82 
INCHES. NO SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED IN SAN ANGELO IN JANUARY. 


JANUARY 2004 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BROUGHT SCATTERED LIGHT RAINSHOWERS TO 
THE HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY ON NEW YEARS DAY. WARM 
TEMPERATURES OCCURRED NEAR THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY...WITH HIGHS IN 
THE 75 TO 80 DEGREE RANGE ON THE 2ND AND 3RD. AFTER A COLD FRONTAL 
PASSAGE ON THE 4TH...A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH ARCTIC AIR 
OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND NORTHERN ROCKIES MOVED SOUTHWARD...AND 
THIS ALLOWED SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON TO WORK SOUTHWARD 
INTO TEXAS. BY THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 5TH...TEMPERATURES RANGED 
FROM 15 TO 20 DEGREES ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS TO THE 
MID AND UPPER 20S FARTHER SOUTH. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH 
PRODUCED VERY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS. 
HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE 5TH WERE SLIGHTLY BELOW FREEZING NORTH OF A 
SAN ANGELO TO BROWNWOOD LINE...AND ONLY REACHED THE MID 30S AT 
JUNCTION. TEMPERATURES QUICKLY MODERATED IN THE FOLLOWING COUPLE OF 
DAYS. 

A SIGNIFICANT WINTER RAIN EVENT OCCURRED DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE 
MONTH. THIS WAS THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT SINCE THE EARLY AND 
MIDDLE PART OF NOVEMBER 2003. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM OVER THE 
SOUTHWESTERN STATES AND BAJA CALIFORNIA SET UP A FAVORABLE PATTERN 
FOR MOISTURE RETURN INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS STORM SYSTEM 
GRADUALLY MOVED INTO TEXAS AND THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...AND BROUGHT A 
FEW EPISODES OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. WIDESPREAD 
LOCATIONS RECEIVED MUCH NEEDED RAIN. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THE 
16TH...17TH...AND 18TH WERE IN THE 0.75 TO 1.25 INCH RANGE ACROSS 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

WITH THIS EVENT...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED A TORNADO IN COLEMAN 
COUNTY...IN THE COMMUNITY OF NOVICE ON THE LATE AFTERNOON OF THE 
15TH. THE DAMAGE FROM THIS TORNADO INCLUDED PARTS OF A COUPLE OF 
ROOFS TORN OFF AND A NUMBER OF WINDOWS BROKEN.

AS THIS SYSTEM PROGRESSED ACROSS TEXAS...COLDER AIR MOVED INTO WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS AND RESULTED IN SCATTERED SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS IN THE 
BIG COUNTRY ON THE 18TH. WITH TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING AND A 
RELATIVELY WARM GROUND ALONG WITH THE LIGHT PRECIPITATION 
INTENSITY...NONE OF THE SNOW ACCUMULATED.

SHOWERS OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 24TH AS A 
STRONG UPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED NORTHEAST INTO TEXAS AND THE 
SOUTHERN PLAINS. PARTS OF THE NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU...NORTHERN 
CONCHO VALLEY...AND BIG COUNTRY RECEIVED ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF 
INCH OF RAIN...WHILE OTHER AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS RECEIVED 
GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. AS THIS SYSTEM DEPARTED 
THE REGION...GUSTY WEST WINDS OCCURRED ON THE 25TH. A PEAK GUST OF 
40 MPH OCCURRED IN ABILENE. 

GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OCCURRED ON THE 26TH...FOLLOWING A STRONG COLD 
FRONTAL PASSAGE. PEAK GUSTS INCLUDED 40 MPH AT ABILENE AND 
JUNCTION...AND 41 MPH IN SAN ANGELO. SOME DUST ALOFT WAS CARRIED 
INTO THE BIG COUNTRY WITH THE NORTHWEST WINDS.

PATCHY LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OCCURRED IN THE BIG COUNTRY ON THE 
EARLY MORNING OF THE 30TH...BUT WITH A RELATIVELY WARM GROUND 
SURFACE...NO OCING PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED.

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