Texas Climate Report: December 2017
Unlike November, December temperatures were more seasonal throughout Texas. Far West Texas and a small part of the upper Panhandle saw temperatures between two and three degrees above normal. Most of the Low Rolling Plains and Edwards Plateau observed near normal temperatures, and South Texas saw temperatures between one and two degrees below normal. Along with the warmer temperatures, the majority of the Panhandle also received less than five percent of normal precipitation. Several stations in the Panhandle recorded zero or near zero inches of rain for the month of December. North Central Texas saw precipitation between 125 percent and 150 percent of normal, and South Texas received between 200 percent and 300 percent of normal precipitation.
Over the past month, the top one meter soil moistures were between 50 mm and 75 mm below normal in parts of Northeast Texas. In the upper Panhandle, the Upper Coast, and South Texas, top one meter soil moistures were as much as 25 mm to 50 mm above normal. Monthly averaged streamflow was normal (25th to 75th percentile) in East Texas. Streamflow was below normal (10th to 24th percentile) and much below normal (less than the 10th percentile) in the Low Rolling Plains, North Central Texas, and Edwards Plateau. Reservoirs in the state were more than 80 percent full at the end of December.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) changed drastically over the month of December. At the beginning of the month, KBDI values in Central and East Texas were as high as 600 to 700 hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion. After several cold fronts and rain showers moved through the state during the month, KBDI values in parts of Northeast and Central Texas dropped to less than 200 hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion.
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 |
56.0 |
‑0.9 |
78 |
33.4 |
‑0.3 |
16 |
44.7 |
‑0.6 |
3 |
1.05 |
85% |
0.90 |
626 |
1 |
| Amarillo |
53.7 |
+4.0 |
77 |
23.6 |
‑0.4 |
8 |
38.7 |
+1.8 |
0 |
0.00 |
0% |
0.00 |
809 |
0 |
| Austin |
62.3 |
‑0.4 |
85 |
42.5 |
+0.2 |
27 |
52.4 |
‑0.1 |
7 |
4.31 |
180% |
1.64 |
397 |
14 |
| Brownsville |
72.1 |
+0.3 |
87 |
52.9 |
+0.2 |
34 |
62.5 |
+0.3 |
10 |
1.15 |
100% |
0.30 |
176 |
107 |
| College Station |
61.5 |
‑0.8 |
81 |
41.9 |
‑0.3 |
30 |
51.7 |
‑0.5 |
11 |
3.50 |
108% |
1.06 |
418 |
13 |
| Corpus Christi |
65.7 |
‑2.7 |
84 |
47.5 |
‑1.1 |
32 |
56.6 |
‑1.9 |
14 |
4.38 |
239% |
2.09 |
289 |
38 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
59.6 |
+2.5 |
84 |
39.9 |
+2.8 |
22 |
49.7 |
+2.6 |
6 |
4.56 |
179% |
2.95 |
476 |
12 |
| Del Rio |
61.9 |
‑2.1 |
79 |
41.8 |
+1.0 |
30 |
51.8 |
‑0.6 |
7 |
1.74 |
268% |
1.11 |
409 |
10 |
| El Paso |
61.0 |
+3.9 |
74 |
36.0 |
+3.5 |
24 |
48.5 |
+3.7 |
4 |
0.68 |
87% |
0.32 |
504 |
0 |
| Galveston |
64.2 |
+0.3 |
77 |
50.5 |
‑0.2 |
34 |
57.3 |
0.0 |
18 |
7.14 |
203% |
3.41 |
255 |
26 |
| Houston |
63.4 |
‑0.9 |
81 |
44.0 |
‑0.6 |
29 |
53.7 |
‑0.7 |
13 |
3.72 |
99% |
0.82 |
364 |
19 |
| Lubbock |
56.9 |
+2.8 |
76 |
27.0 |
‑0.1 |
10 |
42.0 |
+1.4 |
0 |
0.00 |
0% |
0.00 |
706 |
0 |
| Midland |
59.3 |
+1.2 |
79 |
32.9 |
+2.1 |
19 |
46.1 |
+1.7 |
4 |
0.39 |
65% |
0.34 |
577 |
1 |
| Port Arthur |
63.3 |
‑0.4 |
80 |
43.8 |
‑1.0 |
30 |
53.5 |
‑0.8 |
15 |
5.61 |
106% |
2.21 |
367 |
18 |
| San Angelo |
60.1 |
+0.2 |
81 |
33.9 |
+0.3 |
19 |
47.0 |
+0.3 |
7 |
1.13 |
133% |
0.56 |
554 |
3 |
| San Antonio |
62.7 |
‑1.3 |
83 |
43.0 |
+1.3 |
28 |
52.9 |
0.0 |
6 |
4.04 |
212% |
1.06 |
385 |
18 |
| Victoria |
65.2 |
‑0.9 |
85 |
44.1 |
‑0.2 |
32 |
54.7 |
‑0.5 |
12 |
2.04 |
88% |
0.65 |
334 |
21 |
| Waco |
59.5 |
+0.5 |
83 |
36.8 |
‑0.7 |
20 |
48.1 |
‑0.2 |
8 |
1.78 |
65% |
0.66 |
524 |
9 |
| Wichita Falls |
54.4 |
‑0.3 |
81 |
32.7 |
+1.9 |
14 |
43.5 |
+0.7 |
3 |
0.97 |
60% |
0.72 |
660 |
1 |
| Shreveport, LA |
58.8 |
+0.3 |
80 |
38.1 |
+0.4 |
23 |
48.5 |
+0.4 |
8 |
4.12 |
86% |
2.15 |
508 |
3 |
*Dep.: Departure of the monthly average temperature from the 1981-2010 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
*Perc. Norm.: Monthly precipitation total divided by 1981-2010 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 |
| AMARILLO INTL AP |
POTTER |
0.00 |
| BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
0.00 |
| DALHART MUNI AP |
DALLAM |
0.00 |
| FLOMOT 2E |
MOTLEY |
0.00 |
| FLOYDADA |
FLOYD |
0.00 |
| FRIONA |
PARMER |
0.00 |
| GRUVER |
HANSFORD |
0.00 |
| HART |
CASTRO |
0.00 |
| HARTLEY |
HARTLEY |
0.00 |
| HIGGINS 1 N |
LIPSCOMB |
0.00 |
| LEVELLAND |
HOCKLEY |
0.00 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
0.00 |
| LUBBOCK INTL AP |
LUBBOCK |
0.00 |
| MORTON |
COCHRAN |
0.00 |
| MULESHOE #1 |
BAILEY |
0.00 |
| OLTON |
LAMB |
0.00 |
| PLAINS |
YOAKUM |
0.00 |
| PLAINVIEW WATER PRODUCTION |
HALE |
0.00 |
| POST |
GARZA |
0.00 |
| SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
0.00 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
0.00 |
| TULIA |
SWISHER |
0.00 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DIANA 2 W |
UPSHUR |
10.87 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DIANA 2 W |
UPSHUR |
6.82 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
36.0 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
36.0 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BROWNSVILLE INTL AP |
CAMERON |
62.5 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
51.5 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BROWNSVILLE INTL AP |
CAMERON |
72.1 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| EDINBURG 17 NNE |
HIDALGO |
89 |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
89 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| GRUVER |
HANSFORD |
15 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
16.6 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BROWNSVILLE INTL AP |
CAMERON |
52.9 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BROWNSVILLE INTL AP |
CAMERON |
73 |
| HARLINGEN RIO GRANDE AP |
CAMERON |
73 |
| PORT ISABEL CAMERON AP |
CAMERON |
73 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
4 |
New Monthly Records
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| AMARILLO INTL AP |
POTTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1976) |
77 |
| BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP |
HUTCHINSON |
0.02 |
0.04 (2003) |
18 |
| BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
0.00 |
0.00 (1996) |
38 |
| BUSHLAND 1 WSW |
POTTER |
0.01 |
0.01 (1948) |
15 |
| DALHART MUNI AP |
DALLAM |
0.00 |
0.00 (1976) |
67 |
| FLOMOT 2E |
MOTLEY |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
11 |
| FLOYDADA |
FLOYD |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
63 |
| FRIONA |
PARMER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1981) |
78 |
| GRUVER |
HANSFORD |
0.00 |
0.00 (1985) |
73 |
| HART |
CASTRO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
56 |
| HARTLEY |
HARTLEY |
0.00 |
0.05 (2005) |
13 |
| HIGGINS 1 N |
LIPSCOMB |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
63 |
| LEVELLAND |
HOCKLEY |
0.00 |
0.00 (2003) |
76 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
44 |
| LUBBOCK INTL AP |
LUBBOCK |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
71 |
| MORTON |
COCHRAN |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
67 |
| MULESHOE #1 |
BAILEY |
0.00 |
0.00 (2003) |
91 |
| OLTON |
LAMB |
0.00 |
0.00 (1977) |
53 |
| PLAINS |
YOAKUM |
0.00 |
0.00 (2010) |
71 |
| PLAINVIEW WATER PRODUCTION |
HALE |
0.00 |
0.00 (2008) |
18 |
| POST |
GARZA |
0.00 |
0.00 (2008) |
97 |
| SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
0.00 |
0.00 (2003) |
23 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
0.00 |
0.00 (2014) |
81 |
| TULIA |
SWISHER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2003) |
69 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| CORPUS CHRISTI NWS |
NUECES |
4.31 |
4.19 (2009) |
14 |
| C C BOTANICAL GARDENS |
NUECES |
4.89 |
3.32 (2009) |
13 |
| DEL RIO 2 NW |
VAL VERDE |
1.84 |
1.29 (2011) |
18 |
| DRYDEN TERRELL CO AP |
TERRELL |
1.46 |
0.57 (2016) |
15 |
| FORT STOCKTON 38SE |
PECOS |
0.90 |
0.86 (2015) |
11 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ARLINGTON MUNI AP |
TARRANT |
2.63 |
2.55 (2011) |
19 |
| AUSTIN GREAT HILLS |
TRAVIS |
1.61 |
1.60 (2015) |
11 |
| CORPUS CHRISTI NWS |
NUECES |
2.38 |
0.94 (2016) |
14 |
| C C BOTANICAL GARDENS |
NUECES |
1.83 |
1.71 (2009) |
13 |
| DEL RIO 2 NW |
VAL VERDE |
1.18 |
0.47 (2011) |
18 |
| DRYDEN TERRELL CO AP |
TERRELL |
0.74 |
0.45 (2015) |
15 |
| FORT STOCKTON 38SE |
PECOS |
0.71 |
0.70 (2006) |
11 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| C C BOTANICAL GARDENS |
NUECES |
64.4 |
64.6 (2013) |
13 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| BONITA 4 NW |
MONTAGUE |
84 |
83 (2010) |
15 |
| BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP |
HUTCHINSON |
79 |
79 (2010) |
19 |
| HARTLEY |
HARTLEY |
75 |
73 (2010) |
13 |
| OZONA 22SE |
CROCKETT |
85 |
85 (2005) |
10 |
| SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
82 |
80 (1996) |
24 |
| SAN ANTONIO 8 NNE |
BEXAR |
84 |
83 (2013) |
18 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| KENT 8 SE |
JEFF DAVIS |
23 |
24 (2000) |
22 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ELDORADO |
SCHLEICHER |
58 |
58 (2012) |
13 |
Climatic Averages for January
| |
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 |
56.8 |
90 (1911) |
33.0 |
‑9 (1947) |
1.02 |
4.35 (1968) |
2.84 (2010) |
0.0 |
14.9 |
4.7 |
624 |
1 |
| Amarillo |
50.6 |
83 (1927) |
23.4 |
‑11 (1984) |
0.72 |
3.17 (2017) |
1.74 (1968) |
0.0 |
26.8 |
3.9 |
868 |
0 |
| Austin |
61.5 |
90 (1971) |
41.5 |
‑2 (1949) |
2.22 |
9.21 (1991) |
4.41 (1991) |
0.0 |
4.4 |
7.4 |
428 |
9 |
| Brownsville |
70.6 |
95 (2017) |
51.6 |
18 (1881) |
1.27 |
5.11 (1945) |
3.00 (1988) |
0.0 |
0.3 |
7.3 |
180 |
59 |
| College Station |
61.0 |
90 (1999) |
41.2 |
‑3 (1949) |
3.24 |
15.60 (1991) |
5.63 (1991) |
0.0 |
4.9 |
8.4 |
442 |
11 |
| Corpus Christi |
66.9 |
92 (2017) |
47.2 |
14 (1962) |
1.54 |
10.78 (1958) |
6.38 (1958) |
0.0 |
1.5 |
7.1 |
276 |
30 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
56.4 |
93 (1911) |
35.5 |
‑2 (1949) |
2.13 |
9.07 (1932) |
4.27 (2012) |
0.0 |
11.0 |
6.6 |
593 |
2 |
| Del Rio |
63.8 |
92 (1911) |
40.6 |
12 (1918) |
0.72 |
4.12 (1931) |
1.91 (1994) |
0.0 |
4.1 |
4.4 |
399 |
3 |
| El Paso |
57.7 |
80 (1970) |
32.5 |
‑8 (1962) |
0.40 |
1.84 (1949) |
1.28 (1896) |
0.0 |
14.5 |
3.8 |
617 |
0 |
| Galveston |
61.8 |
79 (2017) |
48.6 |
11 (1886) |
4.20 |
10.75 (1991) |
5.38 (1923) |
0.0 |
0.7 |
9.1 |
309 |
5 |
| Houston |
62.9 |
87 (1902) |
43.2 |
5 (1930) |
3.38 |
13.11 (1891) |
5.89 (1891) |
0.0 |
3.7 |
9.6 |
385 |
15 |
| Lubbock |
54.1 |
87 (1914) |
26.4 |
‑16 (1963) |
0.65 |
4.05 (1949) |
1.96 (1939) |
0.0 |
24.4 |
3.7 |
767 |
0 |
| Midland |
57.4 |
84 (1974) |
30.3 |
‑8 (1962) |
0.56 |
4.99 (1939) |
2.56 (1939) |
0.0 |
18.3 |
3.6 |
656 |
0 |
| Port Arthur |
62.1 |
84 (1909) |
43.2 |
11 (1930) |
5.26 |
14.87 (1991) |
6.94 (1998) |
0.0 |
3.6 |
9.5 |
393 |
11 |
| San Angelo |
59.5 |
91 (1911) |
33.3 |
1 (1947) |
0.93 |
3.65 (1961) |
2.49 (1961) |
0.0 |
14.5 |
4.6 |
577 |
1 |
| San Antonio |
62.9 |
89 (1971) |
40.7 |
0 (1949) |
1.76 |
8.52 (1968) |
3.18 (1968) |
0.0 |
5.3 |
7.0 |
416 |
7 |
| Victoria |
64.7 |
88 (1971) |
43.1 |
12 (1949) |
2.52 |
7.76 (1991) |
4.70 (1991) |
0.0 |
3.6 |
8.4 |
358 |
14 |
| Waco |
58.2 |
90 (1943) |
36.1 |
‑5 (1949) |
2.12 |
6.56 (1932) |
4.79 (1998) |
0.0 |
11.3 |
7.1 |
556 |
3 |
| Wichita Falls |
54.2 |
87 (1969) |
29.8 |
‑12 (1947) |
1.14 |
4.48 (1968) |
2.25 (1919) |
0.0 |
18.9 |
4.8 |
713 |
1 |
| Shreveport, LA |
57.3 |
85 (1950) |
36.2 |
‑2 (1930) |
4.20 |
12.96 (1999) |
7.52 (1885) |
0.0 |
11.2 |
9.0 |
570 |
4 |
| Climatic averages are based on 1981-2010 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |
