Texas Climate Report: March 1997

The month of March came in like a lion across much of Texas. On the 1st, the high temperature in Texas for the month was reported in Alice as the mercury rose to 97°F. Temperatures state-wide were in the 80s and 90s in the advance of a potent cold front, which traversed the state on the 2nd. Straight-line winds up to 100 mph were reported in rural North Texas in association with this event. Many people were injured and unfortunately, two people were killed as they were pinned beneath their mobile home in Bazette (Navarro Co.). Significant amounts of precipitation were reported at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (0.77"), Waco (1.53"), College Station (1.22"), Lufkin (1.24"), and Texarkana (0.93") to name a few. Some of the counties which were hit the hardest by these storms were Kaufman, Van Zandt, Henderson, Mills, Falls, and Bell. This storm system became more severe as it entered Louisiana, where extensive property damage was a result of at least 14 confirmed tornadoes. At least 400 injuries and 25 deaths were reported across the state of Louisiana.

Weather on the 3rd and 4th was relatively calm in the wake of the devastating storms from the 2nd. Temperatures were primarily in the 70s and 80s as another, yet weaker, cold front advanced towards the North Texas border. Precipitation associated with this front was relatively minimal, although, precipitation over the past couple of months has been so steady, that many locations across Central, Eastern, and Coastal Texas are on the verge of serious flooding with even minimal amounts of additional precipitation. From the 6th through the 8th, skies cleared under high pressure, bringing temporary relief from the rain. On the 9th, another cold front swept across the state. Fortunately, precipitation was again minimal at most locations. Overrunning precipitation, associated with the stalled cold front in the Gulf of Mexico, brought 1.20" of precipitation to Del Rio and 1.14" to Waco on the 10th, as well as Brownsville (1.96"), Corpus Christi (1.13"), and McAllen (2.11") on the 11th. On the 12th, much of Houston was flooded as 4.38" of precipitation fell, causing major traffic congestion as well as forcing the evacuation of a hospital until the water receded.

On the 13th and 14th, yet another cold front passed through the state bringing more rain to already drenched fields. Dalhart reported the coldest temperature in Texas for the month on the 14th (20°F), the same day Brownsville reached a steamy 92°F! From the 19th to the 24th, temperatures warmed into the 70s and 80s across the state while intermittent showers remained present throughout much of the rest of the month. Most of March was cool, cloudy, and wet for spring breakers along the Gulf Coast. Comet Hale-Bopp viewing was also limited to a number of mornings and evenings as clouds were a dominant feature of the sky. Five first-order stations broke the record for the most precipitation received in March: Brownsville, Del Rio, Galveston, Victoria, and Shreveport.

Monthly Summary for Selected Cities

Monthly Extremes

New Monthly Records

Climatic Averages for April