Texas Climate Report: February 2004

The month of February was characterized by cold and wet weather. Half of the first order stations received over 10 days of measurable precipitation, and only Brownsville, Del Rio, El Paso, and San Antonio had below normal precipitation for the month. The month began with a cold front that passed over the state on the 4th and 5th. This brought rain to most of south and east Texas as well as near-freezing temperatures to most of the state. The next front came through on the 9th-11th and soaked most of south and east Texas. Houston, Galveston, Shreveport, and Austin received at least 2 inches of rain, and College Station and Port Arthur collected over 3 inches.

Following this front, an arctic air mass blanketed the Panhandle and West Texas regions on the 12th. Over the next week, temperatures across the state dropped into the teens, 20s and 30s, and northern Texas received heavy snowfall. Lubbock received 1.2", Waco received 2.3", Amarillo received 2.6", and Dallas received 3" of snow. After the arctic air moved out, a warm front brought temperatures into the 60s and 70s for most of the state. A series of cold fronts helped to keep things near their February normals until the next storm system hit on the 23rd. A low pressure system passing through the state on the 23rd-25th brought even more precipitation to most of the state. College Station, Houston, Lubbock, and Wichita Falls received at least 0.50"; Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Galveston, San Angelo, Victoria, and Waco all recorded at least 1.00"; Shreveport and Abilene accumulated at least 1.50" of rain for these days. The tail end of a cold front brought scattered rainfall across the central and northern parts of the state on the 28th and 29th, but temperatures remained at or above their February normals for the final week.

Monthly Summary for Selected Cities

Monthly Extremes

New Monthly Records

Climatic Averages for March