Texas Climate Report: October 2003
Severe weather characterized the beginning of October in Texas. On the 5th a stationary front created instability in the atmosphere which triggered showers and thunderstorms. The High Plains region of Texas experienced one tornado, numerous large hail reports up to 2.75" in diameter, and high winds. The Eastern region of Texas, including the Bryan/College Station area reportedly experienced damage from a weak tornado on the 5th as well. As the stationary front lingered, large hail reports were also noted on the 6th in the High Plains. A waterspout associated with a rain shower moved on shore and into Harris County on the 8th and was reported as a tornado with little damage. An additional front and low-pressure disturbance caused unstable conditions in the Houston area on the 9th, with six reports of tornadoes.
Austin, San Antonio, and Victoria were the only cities to report below normal mean temperatures at 1.6°F, 0.1°F, and 0.4°F below normal respectively. Precipitation was above normal in half of the first-order stations, and below normal in the other half. North of a line from El Paso to Dallas/Fort Worth experienced below normal precipitation. The Southern half of the state with the exception of a small area, including Austin and San Antonio, received above normal precipitation for the month of October. Copious precipitation fell in Port Arthur with 9.58", which is 205% of the normal expected monthly rainfall. Brownsville and College Station reaped the benefits of numerous stationary fronts with rainfall totals of 6.89" and 6.82" respectively. The month of October came to a close with above-normal temperatures and little precipitation.
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 |
77.9 |
+0.3 |
89 |
55.5 |
+1.1 |
37 |
66.7 |
+0.7 |
7 |
1.81 |
62% |
0.89 |
50 |
110 |
| Amarillo |
75.5 |
+3.7 |
90 |
48.3 |
+3.7 |
31 |
61.9 |
+3.7 |
3 |
0.95 |
63% |
0.91 |
148 |
60 |
| Austin |
83.7 |
+2.3 |
94 |
61.1 |
+1.3 |
46 |
72.4 |
+1.8 |
7 |
1.03 |
26% |
0.48 |
11 |
247 |
| Brownsville |
84.2 |
+0.2 |
90 |
67.1 |
+1.2 |
49 |
75.6 |
+0.6 |
12 |
6.90 |
183% |
2.60 |
8 |
347 |
| College Station |
81.1 |
‑0.9 |
90 |
60.2 |
+1.2 |
49 |
70.6 |
+0.1 |
8 |
6.81 |
161% |
3.12 |
12 |
196 |
| Corpus Christi |
82.7 |
‑0.9 |
90 |
65.0 |
+1.0 |
49 |
73.8 |
|
7 |
3.58 |
91% |
1.65 |
10 |
289 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
80.1 |
+2.2 |
91 |
57.4 |
+1.0 |
38 |
68.7 |
+1.5 |
5 |
0.78 |
19% |
0.47 |
30 |
152 |
| Del Rio |
81.7 |
|
89 |
60.5 |
|
41 |
71.1 |
|
9 |
4.47 |
224% |
3.23 |
18 |
216 |
| El Paso |
81.4 |
+3.5 |
89 |
55.5 |
+3.7 |
33 |
68.5 |
+3.6 |
5 |
0.33 |
41% |
0.28 |
41 |
155 |
| Galveston |
80.6 |
+0.9 |
88 |
68.5 |
+0.1 |
54 |
74.6 |
+0.5 |
5 |
4.38 |
126% |
1.62 |
5 |
308 |
| Houston |
82.1 |
+0.1 |
90 |
61.3 |
+2.5 |
48 |
71.7 |
+1.3 |
7 |
4.99 |
111% |
3.96 |
12 |
228 |
| Lubbock |
79.2 |
+4.8 |
92 |
51.3 |
+4.3 |
36 |
65.2 |
+4.5 |
5 |
0.72 |
42% |
0.24 |
72 |
87 |
| Midland |
79.4 |
+2.0 |
92 |
55.2 |
+3.9 |
39 |
67.3 |
+2.9 |
6 |
0.79 |
45% |
0.45 |
41 |
122 |
| Port Arthur |
80.9 |
+0.4 |
89 |
59.8 |
+0.2 |
44 |
70.3 |
+0.2 |
6 |
9.58 |
205% |
4.24 |
19 |
194 |
| San Angelo |
78.0 |
+0.2 |
89 |
54.3 |
+1.3 |
41 |
66.2 |
+0.8 |
6 |
3.38 |
132% |
1.85 |
49 |
92 |
| San Antonio |
81.5 |
‑0.5 |
91 |
59.7 |
+0.3 |
45 |
70.6 |
‑0.1 |
7 |
1.94 |
50% |
1.19 |
16 |
197 |
| Victoria |
82.6 |
‑0.4 |
91 |
61.1 |
‑0.5 |
47 |
71.8 |
‑0.5 |
12 |
4.53 |
106% |
1.89 |
12 |
231 |
| Waco |
81.4 |
+1.0 |
92 |
57.1 |
+0.4 |
43 |
69.2 |
+0.6 |
6 |
3.88 |
106% |
3.52 |
18 |
157 |
| Wichita Falls |
81.7 |
+4.6 |
95 |
53.7 |
+1.3 |
40 |
67.7 |
+3.0 |
1 |
0.01 |
0% |
0.01 |
46 |
139 |
| Shreveport, LA |
79.6 |
+1.3 |
91 |
56.2 |
+1.2 |
46 |
67.9 |
+1.2 |
6 |
1.92 |
43% |
1.08 |
32 |
128 |
*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 |
| BENJAMIN 15 W |
KING |
0.00 |
| BOWIE |
MONTAGUE |
0.00 |
| BURKBURNETT |
WICHITA |
0.00 |
| CORNUDAS SVC STN |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
| CROWELL |
FOARD |
0.00 |
| DUNDEE 6 NNW |
ARCHER |
0.00 |
| ELECTRA |
WICHITA |
0.00 |
| FT GRIFFIN |
SHACKELFORD |
0.00 |
| HENRIETTA |
CLAY |
0.00 |
| LAKE KEMP |
BAYLOR |
0.00 |
| LOS ANGELES 4 WSW |
LA SALLE |
0.00 |
| NEWPORT 1SW |
JACK |
0.00 |
| OLNEY 5 NNW |
ARCHER |
0.00 |
| PADUCAH 15 S |
KING |
0.00 |
| PADUCAH 10S |
COTTLE |
0.00 |
| PORT O CONNOR |
CALHOUN |
0.00 |
| SCOTLAND |
ARCHER |
0.00 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
0.00 |
| VERNON |
WILBARGER |
0.00 |
| WICHITA FALLS 6 SW |
WICHITA |
0.00 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| THOMPSONS 3 WSW |
FORT BEND |
11.18 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| ENCINAL |
WEBB |
8.50 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
56.8 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
77.0 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
70.4 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| EL CAMPO |
WHARTON |
87.0 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| PADUCAH 15 S |
KING |
98 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
36 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
39.9 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
71.4 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| EL CAMPO |
WHARTON |
81 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
21 |
New Monthly Records
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| BENJAMIN 15 W |
KING |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
20 |
| BOWIE |
MONTAGUE |
0.00 |
0.00 (1921) |
77 |
| CORNUDAS SVC STN |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
0.00 (1999) |
60 |
| CORRIGAN 1 ENE |
POLK |
1.86 |
2.28 (1996) |
11 |
| CROWELL |
FOARD |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
83 |
| DUNDEE 6 NNW |
ARCHER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1992) |
66 |
| ELECTRA |
WICHITA |
0.00 |
0.00 (1992) |
55 |
| GAINESVILLE 5 ENE |
COOKE |
0.19 |
0.42 (1992) |
16 |
| GORDONVILLE |
GRAYSON |
0.22 |
1.02 (1948) |
10 |
| HENRIETTA |
CLAY |
0.00 |
0.00 (1952) |
99 |
| LAKE KEMP |
BAYLOR |
0.00 |
0.00 (1987) |
33 |
| NEW BOSTON |
BOWIE |
0.72 |
1.06 (1983) |
21 |
| NEWPORT 1SW |
JACK |
0.00 |
0.00 (1987) |
51 |
| OLNEY 5 NNW |
ARCHER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1952) |
58 |
| PADUCAH 15 S |
KING |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
29 |
| PADUCAH 10S |
COTTLE |
0.00 |
0.00 (1992) |
29 |
| PORT O CONNOR |
CALHOUN |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
45 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
74 |
| VERNON |
WILBARGER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1992) |
68 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| CALLIHAM |
MCMULLEN |
7.52 |
6.44 (2002) |
25 |
| FALCON DAM |
STARR |
6.90 |
6.25 (1963) |
41 |
| HARLINGEN |
CAMERON |
11.09 |
10.73 (1958) |
86 |
| HEBBRONVILLE |
JIM HOGG |
9.05 |
8.76 (1958) |
89 |
| PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
4.67 |
3.97 (1990) |
20 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| HARLINGEN RIO GRANDE AP |
CAMERON |
3.89 |
3.29 (1998) |
16 |
| LAREDO INTL AP |
WEBB |
3.50 |
2.70 (1946) |
27 |
| CALLIHAM |
MCMULLEN |
6.47 |
3.30 (2002) |
25 |
| CHOKE CANYON DAM |
LIVE OAK |
5.00 |
4.00 (2002) |
20 |
| CRANFILLS GAP |
BOSQUE |
3.50 |
3.30 (1993) |
12 |
| DE LEON 5 SW |
COMANCHE |
3.36 |
3.28 (1993) |
10 |
| FALCON DAM |
STARR |
3.40 |
2.90 (1988) |
41 |
| HEBBRONVILLE |
JIM HOGG |
4.20 |
3.00 (1995) |
89 |
| HORDS CREEK DAM |
COLEMAN |
3.80 |
3.80 (1974) |
50 |
| LAREDO 2 |
WEBB |
4.75 |
3.91 (1971) |
40 |
| MC COOK |
HIDALGO |
7.44 |
6.78 (1971) |
55 |
| PERSIMMON GAP |
BREWSTER |
2.00 |
1.40 (2000) |
21 |
| PIDCOKE |
CORYELL |
2.87 |
2.61 (1976) |
20 |
| PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
2.70 |
2.40 (1990) |
20 |
| RIO GRANDE CITY |
STARR |
5.00 |
4.86 (1998) |
92 |
| SHEFFIELD |
PECOS |
4.18 |
3.60 (1981) |
43 |
| TERLINGUA RCH |
BREWSTER |
2.00 |
1.85 (2000) |
11 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| WINKLER CO AP |
WINKLER |
70.5 |
70.2 (1950) |
57 |
| COPPER BREAKS SP |
HARDEMAN |
67.2 |
65.8 (1989) |
14 |
| CORNUDAS SVC STN |
HUDSPETH |
64.5 |
64.2 (1992) |
38 |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
56.8 |
55.8 (1989) |
13 |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
64.7 |
64.2 (1998) |
13 |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
66.0 |
64.9 (2001) |
20 |
| LAKE FORK RSVR |
WOOD |
68.9 |
67.7 (2000) |
15 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
64.2 |
63.2 (1973) |
34 |
| MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
62.8 |
62.4 (1998) |
22 |
| GEORGETOWN LAKE |
WILLIAMSON |
70.3 |
70.3 (1991) |
17 |
| PLAINS |
YOAKUM |
64.3 |
63.7 (1950) |
44 |
| TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
66.4 |
65.7 (1987) |
23 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
79.5 |
78.6 (1992) |
13 |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
79.7 |
79.7 (1995) |
20 |
| MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
79.9 |
79.6 (1989) |
23 |
| PORT ARANSAS |
NUECES |
83.0 |
82.8 (1998) |
17 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
93 |
91 (2000) |
20 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| CORNUDAS SVC STN |
HUDSPETH |
49.1 |
48.3 (1983) |
39 |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
52.2 |
51.6 (2001) |
20 |
| KENT 8 SE |
JEFF DAVIS |
50.8 |
50.7 (1995) |
11 |
| LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
53.6 |
53.1 (1972) |
56 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
50.5 |
48.8 (1983) |
35 |
| PLAINS |
YOAKUM |
50.1 |
49.7 (1983) |
47 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| EL CAMPO |
WHARTON |
81 |
76 (2002) |
24 |
| TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
65 |
65 (1998) |
23 |
Climatic Averages for November
| |
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 |
65.1 |
92 (1980) |
42.3 |
13 (1887) |
1.30 |
5.82 (1913) |
2.43 (1975) |
0.0 |
5.3 |
4.7 |
353 |
15 |
| Amarillo |
58.4 |
87 (1980) |
31.8 |
0 (1976) |
0.68 |
5.09 (1905) |
3.01 (1905) |
0.0 |
15.9 |
4.1 |
594 |
0 |
| Austin |
70.1 |
91 (1951) |
49.3 |
20 (1976) |
2.68 |
10.00 (2001) |
7.55 (2001) |
0.0 |
0.8 |
8.2 |
205 |
51 |
| Brownsville |
76.8 |
98 (1906) |
58.6 |
27 (1911) |
1.75 |
7.69 (1986) |
4.08 (1986) |
0.5 |
0.0 |
5.9 |
69 |
166 |
| College Station |
70.9 |
94 (1921) |
49.1 |
19 (1976) |
3.18 |
13.06 (1907) |
5.56 (1907) |
0.0 |
1.5 |
8.4 |
203 |
53 |
| Corpus Christi |
74.9 |
98 (1988) |
55.4 |
28 (1993) |
1.74 |
8.64 (1888) |
4.61 (1892) |
0.4 |
0.2 |
6.3 |
103 |
122 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
65.1 |
89 (1989) |
45.1 |
19 (1950) |
2.57 |
7.94 (1918) |
4.72 (1918) |
0.0 |
2.6 |
6.4 |
312 |
15 |
| Del Rio |
70.9 |
96 (1988) |
49.2 |
17 (1906) |
0.96 |
4.54 (1913) |
2.87 (1914) |
0.2 |
1.1 |
5.0 |
183 |
41 |
| El Paso |
65.5 |
87 (1983) |
39.8 |
1 (1976) |
0.42 |
2.50 (1906) |
1.19 (1943) |
0.0 |
8.1 |
3.1 |
386 |
2 |
| Galveston |
71.3 |
85 (1988) |
59.4 |
26 (1911) |
3.64 |
16.18 (1940) |
9.01 (1940) |
0.0 |
0.1 |
8.7 |
112 |
122 |
| Houston |
72.0 |
89 (1989) |
49.8 |
19 (1976) |
4.19 |
14.10 (1943) |
10.83 (1943) |
0.0 |
1.3 |
8.6 |
189 |
65 |
| Lubbock |
61.6 |
89 (1916) |
34.5 |
‑1 (1957) |
0.71 |
3.37 (2001) |
1.59 (2001) |
0.0 |
10.3 |
3.7 |
491 |
0 |
| Midland |
65.8 |
90 (1996) |
38.8 |
10 (1938) |
0.65 |
2.32 (1968) |
2.16 (1975) |
0.0 |
6.9 |
3.1 |
380 |
4 |
| Port Arthur |
70.9 |
90 (1905) |
50.8 |
22 (1976) |
4.75 |
22.74 (1902) |
7.70 (1946) |
0.0 |
0.8 |
8.4 |
181 |
63 |
| San Angelo |
66.5 |
93 (1980) |
41.4 |
12 (1911) |
1.10 |
3.55 (1968) |
2.57 (2001) |
0.1 |
5.8 |
4.2 |
330 |
16 |
| San Antonio |
71.4 |
94 (1988) |
48.6 |
21 (1976) |
2.58 |
8.58 (2000) |
4.87 (1977) |
0.1 |
1.9 |
7.3 |
197 |
57 |
| Victoria |
73.0 |
93 (1988) |
52.3 |
24 (1976) |
2.64 |
10.11 (1998) |
6.63 (1982) |
0.1 |
0.6 |
7.5 |
145 |
83 |
| Waco |
67.8 |
92 (1988) |
45.8 |
17 (1976) |
2.61 |
10.36 (1902) |
4.26 (1952) |
0.1 |
2.9 |
7.5 |
271 |
34 |
| Wichita Falls |
63.7 |
89 (1988) |
40.1 |
14 (1950) |
1.68 |
7.39 (1902) |
3.15 (1902) |
0.0 |
6.6 |
5.5 |
395 |
10 |
| Shreveport, LA |
66.8 |
88 (1984) |
45.3 |
16 (1976) |
4.68 |
10.81 (1987) |
6.51 (1987) |
0.0 |
3.0 |
8.9 |
296 |
24 |
| Climatic averages are based on 1971-2000 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |
