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College Station Monthly Summary: December 2004

December was a fitting end to an exciting year of weather. The month began with much cooler than normal temperatures and little precipitation. A low pressure system brought some warmer temperatures and moderate rainfall to the Brazos Valley. A high pressure settled over the state, and temperatures warmed up quite a bit. A cold front hit the area beginning on the 14th, and high temperatures dropped 10°F from one day to the next. A little bit of rain fell with the front, as well and temperatures again warmed to the 70s before a large trough hit the state. Temperatures plummeted as a large arctic air mass settled over Texas, and while many parts of the state received snow, College Station remained relatively dry over Christmas. On the 23rd and 25th, the low reached 25°F, the coldest temperature all year in College Station. Following the cold snap, temperatures warmed back up into the 70s, some 15-20°F above normal. Unlike most of a very wet 2004, only 1.07" of rain fell in College Station, 2.16" below the December normal. For the entire year, College Station received 56.18" of rain, the 3rd highest total in College Station history and only 4.86" behind the 1968 record.

  Daily Temperature Daily Precipitation Monthly Temperature Summary
Day Maximum Minimum *Departure Total Mean Value *Departure
1 55°F 31°F ‑12°F   Maximum 63.5°F +0.7°F
2 65°F 43°F ‑1°F   Minimum 41.5°F 0.0°F
3 57°F 40°F ‑6°F T Average 52.5°F +0.3°F
4 65°F 43°F ‑1°F   Degree Days Total *Departure
5 72°F 55°F +10°F 0.20" Heating 387 ‑26
6 74°F 57°F +12°F 0.30" Cooling 8 ‑6
7 70°F 48°F +5°F   Numberof Days: Total *Departure
8 63°F 46°F +0°F 0.03" Maximum ≥ 90°F 0 0
9 77°F 47°F +9°F   Maximum ≤ 32°F 0 0
10 68°F 47°F +4°F   Minimum ≤ 32°F 7 ‑1
11 67°F 41°F +1°F    
12 78°F 46°F +9°F   Monthly Precipitation Summary
13 62°F 43°F +0°F   Precipitation Value *Departure
14 52°F 34°F ‑9°F   Monthly Total 1.07" ‑2.16"
15 55°F 28°F ‑10°F T Year-to-date Total 56.18" +16.51"
16 52°F 42°F ‑5°F 0.13" Days ≥ 0.01" 6 ‑2
17 59°F 38°F ‑4°F    
18 68°F 35°F 0°F   Monthly Extremes
19 64°F 40°F +1°F   Extreme Value Date(s)
20 71°F 40°F +4°F T Highest Temperature 78°F 12th
21 77°F 50°F +12°F   Lowest Temperature 25°F 23rd, 25th
22 55°F 33°F ‑7°F 0.30" Max. 24-hour Precip. 0.30" 6th
23 40°F 25°F ‑18°F   Maximum Wind Gust 34 mph 5th
24 36°F 28°F ‑19°F    
25 48°F 25°F ‑14°F   Record Book for December
26 61°F 28°F ‑6°F   Highest Temperature 89°F 1922
27 64°F 32°F ‑2°F   Lowest Temperature 2°F 1989
28 71°F 44°F +8°F   Highest Minimum 74°F 1982
29 71°F 56°F +14°F T Lowest Maximum 23°F 1990
30 74°F 61°F +18°F   Wettest Month 12.66" 1913
31 76°F 62°F +19°F 0.11" Driest Month 0.00" 1947
  Wettest 24 Hours 7.54" 1913
"T" indicates daily precipitation ≤ 0.005".
BOLDFACE indicates an extreme daily value for the month.
ITALICS indicates a daily record was set or tied.
*Departure from the 1971‑2000 normal.

*New Records Set

Day Parameter Value Old Record Year
No new records were set or tied in December 2004.

*Near Records Set

Day Parameter Value Record Year
21st Tied 3rd highest maximum temperature 77°F 79°F 1970
30th Tied 4th highest minimum temperature 61°F 68°F 1992
*NOTE: Records from 1910 through July 1951 are based on observations taken at the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station main farm located 7 miles SW of College Station. Records from August 1951 through
the present are based on observations taken at Easterwood Field.

January Normals for College Station

Beginning of the month: 62°F/41°F Monthly precipitation: 3.32"
Middle of the month: 61°F/40°F Precipitation days: 9
End of the month: 63°F/42°F Days ≤ 32°F:  11
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