WFO San Angelo Climatology

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
928 PM CDT THU AUG 1 2002

...WETTEST JULY ON RECORD FOR ABILENE...
...ABILENE TIED ITS 7TH COOLEST JULY...

CONDITIONS WERE MARKEDLY COOLER AND WETTER THAN WHAT USUALLY OCCURS IN 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN JULY. THIS WAS THE WETTEST JULY ON RECORD FOR 
ABILENE. 

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JULY WAS
79.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.8 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 83.5 DEGREES. THIS TIED FOR THE 7TH COOLEST JULY ON RECORD. THE 
TEMPERATURE DID NOT REACH THE 100 DEGREE MARK IN ABILENE DURING JULY. 
MOROVER...THE AVERAGE DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR JULY IN ABILENE WAS 
89.0 DEGREES. SINCE 1914...THIS HAS BEEN ONLY THE THIRD TIME IN WHICH 
THE AVERAGE DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR JULY WAS BELOW 90 DEGREES IN 
ABILENE.

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR ABILENE IN JULY WAS 8.04 INCHES. THIS WAS 6.34 
INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 1.70 INCHES. THIS MARKS THE WETTEST 
JULY ON RECORD FOR ABILENE...SURPASSING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 7.95 
INCHES FROM 1938.            

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JULY WAS
81.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.4 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 82.4 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE 12TH COOLEST JULY ON RECORD. TOTAL 
PRECIPITATION FOR SAN ANGELO IN JULY WAS 2.02 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.92
INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL 1.10 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FOR 
JULY WERE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE SAN ANGELO
AREA.


JULY 2002 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

IN JULY 2002...A VERY UNUSUAL DEPARTURE FROM THE NORMALLY HOT AND DRY 
PATTERN OCCURRED IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THE MAIN WEATHER HIGHLIGHT OF
THE MONTH WAS A SIGNIFICANT VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOOD EVENT...
WHICH OCCURRED IN EARLY JULY.  

* EARLY JULY *

TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO HAD MOVED INTO WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS BY THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. A FAIRLY STRONG UPPER LEVEL 
DISTURBANCE MOVED VERY SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. 
WHEN THIS UPPER LEVEL FEATURE INTERACTED WITH THE VERY MOIST AIRMASS...
NUMEROUS ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL 
OCCURRED. 

A WEATHER CYCLE REPEATED ITSELF OVER THE SPAN OF SEVERAL DAYS...FROM 
THE 2ND THROUGH THE 7TH. DURING THIS CYCLE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS OCURRED DURING EACH AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY NIGHTTIME 
HOURS. THEN DURING THE LATE NIGHT INTO THE MORNING HOURS OF EACH DAY... 
MORE ORGANIZED AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN 
DEVELOPED AND MOVED NORTH INTO THE REGION. ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAIN FELL 
THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...THE MOST NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN OCCURRED OVER EASTERN SECTIONS 
(TO THE EAST OF A LINE FROM ROBY TO BALLINGER TO MASON).

FROM THIS EVENT...RAINFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES OCCURRED OVER THE 
EASTERN BIG COUNTRY...NORTHERN AND EASTERN HEARTLAND. THE HIGHEST RAIN 
TOTALS OF 12 TO 16 INCHES WERE RECEIVED AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS WITHIN 
THESE AREAS.

FARTHER TO THE WEST...SCATTERED LOCATIONS RECEIVED AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 
4 TO 8 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGING FROM ONE TO FOUR INCHES OCCURRED
OVER A WIDESPREAD AREA.    

MAJOR FLASH FLOODING OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY AND 
HEARTLAND...ESPECIALLY IN THE ABILENE AND BROWNWOOD AREAS. 

IN THE CITY OF ABILENE...4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON THE EARLY MORNING
OF THE 6TH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER 10 INCHES OCCURRED IN TAYLOR COUNTY 
SOUTH OF ABILENE. THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN ABILENE CAUSED CONSIDERABLE
STREET FLOODING. IN ADDITION...THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL SOUTH OF THE 
ABILENE AREA CAUSED RAPID WATER RUNOFF INTO THE CREEKS WHICH FLOW 
NORTHWARD THROUGH THE CITY. SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING OCCURRED ALONG 
THESE CREEKS IN ABILENE...AND THE FLASH FLOODING NECESSITATED EVACUATIONS
IN PARTS OF THE CITY. FLOODWATERS ENTERED AT LEAST 623 HOMES AND 51 
BUSINESSES IN ABILENE.  

THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF ABILENE ALSO LED TO FLASH 
FLOODING OF JIM NED CREEK AND PECAN BAYOU. THESE THESE FLOODWATERS 
EMPTIED INTO LAKE BROWNWOOD AND CAUSED IT TO CREST AT A LEVEL WHICH WAS 
7.63 FEET OVER ITS SPILLWAY. THIS EXCESS WATER FLOWED OVER THE 
SPILLWAY...DOWN PECAN BAYOU...AND INTO THE CITY OF BROWNWOOD. THIS 
RESULTED IN CONSIDERABLE FLOODING IN THE BROWNWOOD AREA...ESPECIALLY IN 
THE BUSINESS DISTRICT. THE FLOODING PROMPTED SOME EVACUATIONS IN 
BROWNWOOD AND BANGS IN BROWN COUNTY. 

IN ADDITION TO CAUSING THE FLASH FLOODING...THE CONCENTRATED HIGH 
RAINFALL ALSO HELPED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REPLENISH THE WATER LEVELS IN 
LAKE ABILENE...FORT PHANTOM HILL RESERVOIR...AND LAKE COLEMAN. SMALLER 
RISES OCCURRED IN LAKE STAMFORD...HUBBARD CREEK RESERVOIR...AND O.H. 
IVIE RESERVOIR.

* MID JULY *

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINED OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS INTO THE 
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. THIS SET THE STAGE FOR ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS TO OCCUR...MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. THE SHOWERS 
AND STORMS WERE MOST NUMEROUS ON THE 13TH AND 14TH...DUE TO THE INFLUENCE
OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARIES. A FEW SEVERE 
STORMS OCCURRED DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OF THE 13TH. A SEVERE STORM 
DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND DROPPED DIME SIZE HAIL JUST SOUTH OF CLYDE. ANOTHER
SEVERE STORM PRODUCED A WIND GUST OF 58 MPH AT THE SAN ANGELO REGIONAL 
AIRPORT. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OF 6 TO 8 INCHES OCCURRED AT A FEW 
LOCATIONS IN NORTHEAST MCCULLOCH COUNTY...AND TO THE NORTH AND SOUTHWEST
OF RICHLAND SPRINGS. A BAND OF 3 TO 6 INCH AMOUNTS OCCURRED FROM NEAR 
CREWS TO JUST NORTH OF O.H. IVIE RESERVOIR...THEN EAST ACROSS EXTREME 
SOUTHERN COLEMAN AND NORTHEAST MCCULLOCH COUNTIES. MUCH OF SAN SABA 
COUNTY ALSO RECEIVED 3 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN. ELSEWHERE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT A FEW LOCATIONS. SOME ROAD 
FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN PARTS OF SAN SABA AND KIMBLE COUNTIES. 

A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE LINGERED OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE
MIDDLE PART OF THE MONTH. THIS BROUGHT ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. 

* LATE JULY *

HOTTER AND DRIER CONDITIONS...MORE TYPICAL OF JULY WEATHER IN WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS...DEVELOPED BY LATE IN THE MONTH UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF 
AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM. ONE LAST UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE 
LATE IN THE MONTH (28TH TO 30TH) BROUGHT ADDITIONAL SCATTERED 
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...HOWEVER. THIS SYSTEM INTERACTED WITH UNSTABLE 
AIR AND BROUGHT SEVERE WEATHER AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL TO PARTS OF THE 
REGION ON THE EVENING OF THE 29TH. SOME WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED FROM 
60 TO 70 MPH WINDS NEAR HAMLIN AND HAWLEY (JONES COUNTY)...AND FROM 60 
MPH WINDS NEAR SAN ANGELO. DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED 
IN THE VICINITY OF SAN ANGELO. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN MERKEL
AND TYE (TAYLOR COUNTY). HEAVY RAIN CAUSED STREET FLOODING IN NORTHERN 
AND EASTERN PARTS OF SAN ANGELO. FROM THE 28TH TO 30TH...THE HEAVIEST 
RAIN (THREE TO SIX INCHES) FELL AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS NORTH AND EAST 
OF ABILENE...EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF SAN ANGELO...AND SOUTH OF OZONA AND 
SONORA.