Texas Climate Report: September 2002
September 2002 was a fairly warm month temperature wise, as fifteen of the nineteen first order stations in Texas recorded normal or slightly above average mean monthly temperatures. The greatest departure above normal was reported in Dallas/ Fort Worth, at 2.1°F. Only two stations broke the 100°F mark this month (Brownsville, and Wichita Falls). The regions of Southern Edwards Plateau, Southern North Central, Southern East, South Central, Upper Coast, and South Texas, however, experienced temperatures slightly below normal, with San Antonio reporting the largest departure from normal of 1.8°F below average.
Below normal precipitation was reported for every first order station excluding Brownsville (114% of normal), Corpus Christi (127% of normal), Galveston (198% of normal), Houston (185% of normal), San Antonio (234% of normal), and Waco (105% of normal). These areas received above normal rainfall due to pop-up sea-breeze thunderstorm activity, convective rain bands from Tropical Storm Fay (September 7th-9th), and weak frontal passages. Some impressive monthly totals were noted in Brownsville (6.04"), Corpus Christi (6.37", with a rainfall record on the 15th), Galveston (11.38"), Houston (8.02"), Port Arthur (5.74"), and San Antonio (7.02").
The state of Texas experienced a pattern of dry, mild weather for most of the month. The first noticeable cold front of the autumnal season trudged southward through Texas on the 19th of the month, bringing with it cooler temperatures and light precipitation (with isolated larger amounts reported in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio). The pattern of cooler, drier weather persisted for a few days before moderating to a typical southerly gulf flow pattern. The last week of September was characterized by temperatures slightly above normal and little precipitation statewide.
Monthly Summary for Selected Cities
| |
TMAX (°F) |
TMIN (°F) |
TAVG (°F) |
PRCP |
*Deg. Days |
| Station |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Max. |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Min. |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Days ≥ 0.01" |
Mo. Total |
*Perc. Norm. |
Gr'st 24 hr. |
*HDD |
*CDD |
| Abilene |
87.8 |
+1.1 |
97 |
63.7 |
‑0.7 |
51 |
75.7 |
+0.2 |
5 |
2.05 |
70% |
1.06 |
0 |
328 |
| Amarillo |
82.1 |
+0.3 |
91 |
56.2 |
‑0.1 |
47 |
69.2 |
+0.1 |
4 |
1.64 |
87% |
1.16 |
21 |
156 |
| Austin |
89.7 |
‑0.4 |
98 |
69.8 |
+1.0 |
59 |
79.8 |
+0.3 |
7 |
3.23 |
111% |
2.28 |
0 |
451 |
| Brownsville |
92.1 |
+2.7 |
101 |
73.1 |
+0.5 |
66 |
82.6 |
+1.6 |
12 |
6.04 |
114% |
3.32 |
0 |
537 |
| College Station |
90.4 |
‑0.5 |
96 |
69.1 |
+0.6 |
56 |
79.8 |
+0.1 |
8 |
0.77 |
20% |
0.28 |
0 |
454 |
| Corpus Christi |
89.5 |
‑0.4 |
96 |
71.3 |
‑0.3 |
63 |
80.4 |
‑0.4 |
11 |
6.37 |
127% |
2.53 |
0 |
471 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
90.5 |
+2.8 |
97 |
68.6 |
+1.4 |
54 |
79.5 |
+2.0 |
3 |
1.38 |
57% |
1.07 |
0 |
444 |
| Del Rio |
92.7 |
+2.1 |
99 |
69.5 |
+0.1 |
57 |
81.1 |
+1.1 |
4 |
1.28 |
62% |
0.81 |
0 |
490 |
| El Paso |
89.0 |
+1.9 |
95 |
65.0 |
+1.3 |
56 |
77.0 |
+1.6 |
5 |
0.48 |
30% |
0.27 |
0 |
365 |
| Galveston |
86.1 |
‑0.4 |
93 |
75.5 |
‑0.1 |
70 |
80.8 |
‑0.3 |
14 |
11.38 |
198% |
4.01 |
0 |
482 |
| Houston |
88.1 |
‑1.2 |
95 |
71.2 |
+2.8 |
63 |
79.7 |
+0.8 |
10 |
8.02 |
185% |
3.35 |
0 |
449 |
| Lubbock |
85.8 |
+2.4 |
95 |
59.2 |
+0.8 |
47 |
72.5 |
+1.6 |
5 |
1.38 |
54% |
1.22 |
5 |
238 |
| Midland |
88.4 |
+2.3 |
98 |
63.1 |
+1.5 |
50 |
75.8 |
+1.9 |
4 |
0.30 |
13% |
0.15 |
0 |
329 |
| Port Arthur |
87.3 |
‑0.7 |
95 |
72.5 |
+3.1 |
64 |
79.9 |
+1.2 |
10 |
5.74 |
94% |
2.31 |
0 |
452 |
| San Angelo |
89.0 |
+2.4 |
97 |
62.8 |
‑0.2 |
48 |
75.9 |
+1.1 |
4 |
1.64 |
56% |
0.78 |
0 |
332 |
| San Antonio |
88.2 |
‑1.8 |
97 |
69.1 |
+0.3 |
58 |
78.7 |
‑0.7 |
7 |
7.02 |
234% |
2.81 |
0 |
416 |
| Victoria |
89.4 |
‑0.5 |
96 |
69.7 |
‑0.6 |
61 |
79.5 |
‑0.6 |
10 |
3.93 |
79% |
2.17 |
0 |
443 |
| Waco |
91.4 |
+1.3 |
99 |
67.6 |
+0.6 |
55 |
79.5 |
+0.9 |
4 |
3.01 |
105% |
1.55 |
0 |
442 |
| Wichita Falls |
90.0 |
+2.5 |
101 |
63.8 |
+0.1 |
52 |
76.9 |
+1.3 |
4 |
2.37 |
74% |
1.98 |
0 |
364 |
| Shreveport, LA |
90.1 |
+2.5 |
99 |
69.2 |
+2.8 |
61 |
79.6 |
+2.6 |
9 |
1.37 |
43% |
0.57 |
0 |
446 |
*Dep.: Departure of the monthly average temperature from the 1971-2000 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
*Perc. Norm.: Monthly precipitation total divided by 1971-2000 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
*Deg. Days: Computed daily as the departure of the daily average temperature from 65°F and aggregated over the entire month.
*Heating degree day (HDD): Each unit corresponds to a -1°F departure of a daily average temperature from 65°F.
*Cooling degree day (HDD): Each unit corresponds to a +1°F departure of a daily average temperature from 65°F.
|
Monthly Extremes
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| EXXON GAS PLANT |
KLEBERG |
0.00 |
| LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
| LAMPASAS |
LAMPASAS |
0.00 |
| PAINT ROCK |
CONCHO |
0.00 |
| STUDY BUTTE |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| FOWLERTON |
LA SALLE |
20.75 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| FOWLERTON |
LA SALLE |
12.80 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
66.1 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| HEATH CANYON |
BREWSTER |
83.5 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
78.3 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| HEATH CANYON |
BREWSTER |
97.6 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| HEATH CANYON |
BREWSTER |
104 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
62 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| FT DAVIS |
JEFF DAVIS |
50.8 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
77.4 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| PORT ARANSAS |
NUECES |
83 |
| ROCKPORT |
ARANSAS |
83 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| FT DAVIS |
JEFF DAVIS |
39 |
New Monthly Records
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2000) |
53 |
| LAMPASAS |
LAMPASAS |
0.00 |
0.03 (1934) |
102 |
| LUFKIN 11 NW |
ANGELINA |
1.12 |
1.41 (1994) |
19 |
| PAINT ROCK |
CONCHO |
0.00 |
0.00 (1934) |
75 |
| STUDY BUTTE |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2000) |
10 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| HONDO MUNI AP |
MEDINA |
8.68 |
7.78 (1991) |
25 |
| BAYTOWN |
HARRIS |
13.20 |
11.51 (1998) |
20 |
| CHOKE CANYON DAM |
LIVE OAK |
7.83 |
5.49 (1985) |
19 |
| DERBY 1 S |
FRIO |
16.27 |
5.27 (1991) |
24 |
| DILLEY |
FRIO |
14.37 |
13.09 (1967) |
89 |
| FT MCKAVETT |
MENARD |
3.47 |
3.41 (2001) |
10 |
| FOWLERTON |
LA SALLE |
20.75 |
13.99 (1967) |
73 |
| FREER 18 WNW |
WEBB |
7.70 |
5.12 (1995) |
23 |
| PLEASANTON |
ATASCOSA |
10.10 |
3.68 (2001) |
13 |
| SEGUIN 1 SSW |
GUADALUPE |
5.84 |
5.12 (1998) |
11 |
| THREE RIVERS 8 NE |
LIVE OAK |
10.53 |
3.97 (1990) |
15 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| HONDO MUNI AP |
MEDINA |
4.19 |
2.42 (1984) |
25 |
| BRANDON |
HILL |
1.92 |
1.71 (1994) |
11 |
| CHOKE CANYON DAM |
LIVE OAK |
2.57 |
2.02 (1988) |
19 |
| DERBY 1 S |
FRIO |
10.37 |
2.51 (1986) |
24 |
| DILLEY |
FRIO |
10.13 |
6.86 (1973) |
89 |
| ELGIN |
BASTROP |
4.35 |
3.77 (1962) |
40 |
| FT MCKAVETT |
MENARD |
2.46 |
2.41 (1882) |
10 |
| FOWLERTON |
LA SALLE |
12.80 |
4.50 (1967) |
73 |
| PLEASANTON |
ATASCOSA |
3.81 |
2.98 (1999) |
13 |
| SEGUIN 1 SSW |
GUADALUPE |
2.43 |
1.60 (1998) |
11 |
| THREE RIVERS 8 NE |
LIVE OAK |
3.85 |
2.70 (2001) |
15 |
| UTOPIA |
UVALDE |
3.77 |
3.60 (1995) |
11 |
| WILDWOOD |
TYLER |
4.30 |
3.87 (1998) |
11 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LAKE FORK RSVR |
WOOD |
78.7 |
78.7 (2000) |
14 |
| MT PLEASANT |
TITUS |
81.3 |
80.4 (1998) |
53 |
| PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
70.4 |
70.4 (1998) |
13 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| CHOKE CANYON DAM |
LIVE OAK |
88.4 |
88.5 (2001) |
19 |
| UVALDE 3 SW |
UVALDE |
88.4 |
88.7 (1991) |
15 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LAKE FORK RSVR |
WOOD |
92.3 |
91.7 (2000) |
14 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| PORT MANSFIELD |
WILLACY |
99 |
99 (1964) |
37 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| DUBLIN 2SE |
ERATH |
53.3 |
57.1 (1918) |
94 |
| FT DAVIS |
JEFF DAVIS |
50.8 |
52.3 (1991) |
27 |
| HUDSPETH RIVER RANCH |
VAL VERDE |
64.2 |
64.2 (1989) |
14 |
| SAN ANTONIO/SEAWORLD |
BEXAR |
65.8 |
65.8 (1989) |
14 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ARLINGTON SIX FLAGS |
TARRANT |
69.4 |
68.5 (2000) |
12 |
| MT PLEASANT |
TITUS |
70.7 |
68.7 (1998) |
53 |
| PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
59.6 |
58.6 (1994) |
14 |
| WRIGHT PATMAN DAM |
CASS |
68.0 |
67.3 (1998) |
27 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| CENTERVILLE |
LEON |
79 |
79 (2000) |
62 |
| CLEVELAND |
LIBERTY |
76 |
76 (1988) |
38 |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
77 |
77 (2000) |
17 |
| EL CAMPO |
WHARTON |
80 |
78 (1959) |
21 |
| LAKE TAWAKONI |
RAINS |
78 |
77 (2000) |
27 |
| LEXINGTON |
LEE |
78 |
78 (1977) |
38 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
77 |
77 (2000) |
17 |
| SAM RAYBURN DAM |
JASPER |
76 |
76 (2000) |
34 |
| TOWN BLUFF DAM |
TYLER |
77 |
76 (1961) |
50 |
| SUGAR LAND |
FORT BEND |
80 |
79 (1989) |
85 |
Climatic Averages for October
| |
TMAX (°F) |
TMIN (°F) |
PRCP (inches) |
No. Days in Month |
Deg. Days |
| Station |
Avg. |
Record |
Avg. |
Record |
Avg. |
Gr'st Mo. |
Gr'st 24 hr. |
≥ 90°F |
≤ 32°F |
PRCP ≥ 0.01" |
HDD |
CDD |
| Abilene |
77.6 |
103 (1979) |
54.4 |
23 (1993) |
2.90 |
10.88 (1941) |
6.08 (1981) |
2.2 |
0.3 |
6.2 |
93 |
118 |
| Amarillo |
71.8 |
99 (2000) |
44.6 |
12 (1993) |
1.50 |
7.64 (1941) |
3.03 (1998) |
0.8 |
2.3 |
5.0 |
239 |
26 |
| Austin |
81.4 |
100 (1938) |
59.8 |
30 (1993) |
3.97 |
12.63 (1925) |
7.51 (1998) |
4.4 |
0.0 |
7.4 |
32 |
207 |
| Brownsville |
84.0 |
99 (1900) |
65.9 |
35 (1993) |
3.78 |
17.12 (1958) |
9.09 (1996) |
6.2 |
0.0 |
7.3 |
6 |
332 |
| College Station |
82.0 |
102 (1938) |
59.0 |
29 (1993) |
4.22 |
18.77 (1994) |
13.39 (1994) |
3.2 |
0.1 |
7.6 |
25 |
196 |
| Corpus Christi |
83.6 |
98 (1950) |
64.0 |
28 (1993) |
3.94 |
12.03 (1997) |
7.96 (1995) |
5.5 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
12 |
300 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
77.9 |
106 (1951) |
56.4 |
24 (1917) |
4.11 |
14.18 (1981) |
4.85 (1959) |
3.0 |
0.1 |
6.9 |
52 |
118 |
| Del Rio |
81.7 |
106 (1979) |
60.5 |
28 (1993) |
2.00 |
11.69 (1930) |
7.60 (1969) |
5.1 |
0.1 |
5.7 |
24 |
217 |
| El Paso |
77.9 |
96 (1994) |
51.8 |
25 (1970) |
0.81 |
5.15 (1884) |
1.84 (1883) |
2.4 |
0.5 |
4.9 |
89 |
71 |
| Galveston |
79.7 |
94 (1952) |
68.4 |
39 (1993) |
3.49 |
17.78 (1871) |
14.01 (1901) |
0.1 |
0.0 |
6.8 |
6 |
286 |
| Houston |
82.0 |
99 (1900) |
58.8 |
29 (1993) |
4.50 |
17.64 (1949) |
9.31 (1984) |
3.1 |
0.1 |
7.5 |
37 |
196 |
| Lubbock |
74.4 |
100 (2000) |
47.0 |
18 (1993) |
1.70 |
10.80 (1983) |
5.82 (1983) |
1.2 |
1.0 |
5.1 |
163 |
46 |
| Midland |
77.4 |
101 (2000) |
51.3 |
24 (1993) |
1.77 |
7.45 (1986) |
3.59 (1985) |
2.4 |
0.3 |
4.7 |
103 |
83 |
| Port Arthur |
80.5 |
99 (1905) |
59.6 |
30 (1993) |
4.67 |
15.09 (1970) |
9.26 (1902) |
1.5 |
0.1 |
6.5 |
34 |
195 |
| San Angelo |
77.8 |
100 (1951) |
53.0 |
26 (1997) |
2.57 |
8.68 (1981) |
5.11 (1959) |
2.7 |
0.3 |
5.6 |
84 |
112 |
| San Antonio |
82.0 |
99 (1991) |
59.4 |
27 (1993) |
3.86 |
18.07 (1998) |
13.35 (1998) |
4.9 |
0.0 |
6.9 |
33 |
215 |
| Victoria |
83.0 |
109 (1926) |
61.6 |
31 (1993) |
4.26 |
17.25 (1960) |
8.15 (1994) |
4.9 |
0.0 |
7.3 |
22 |
248 |
| Waco |
80.4 |
101 (1989) |
56.7 |
25 (1993) |
3.67 |
10.51 (1984) |
5.72 (1974) |
4.5 |
0.1 |
6.9 |
58 |
170 |
| Wichita Falls |
77.1 |
102 (2000) |
52.4 |
21 (1993) |
3.11 |
11.77 (1941) |
5.61 (1959) |
3.3 |
0.4 |
7.0 |
106 |
99 |
| Shreveport, LA |
78.3 |
99 (1938) |
55.0 |
28 (1993) |
4.45 |
14.02 (1949) |
6.83 (1949) |
1.8 |
0.2 |
7.4 |
78 |
119 |
| Climatic averages are based on 1971-2000 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |
