Weekly Climate Summary: 8/27/2023-9/2/2023

Last week brought much-needed relief to several Texans thanks to a cold front that was able to sweep its way across the whole state. This front brought cooler (but still warm) temperatures as well as some precipitation to many areas that are greatly suffering from drought. In conjunction with these events, eleven storm reports were made: nine high wind events, 1 hail event, and 1 tornadic event. Pictured below is the frontal boundary that traveled across the state on Sunday, August 27th. Note the stark difference in temperatures (depicted in red font) behind the front versus ahead of it.

Source: Weather Prediction Center

Temperatures were much cooler in comparison to previous weeks thanks to the cold front. The warmest locations had temperature averages near 90 degrees Fahrenheit with the highest average recorded at 90.1 degrees in Harris County. The majority of the state had temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees while parts of the Panhandle and Far West Texas fell below 80 degrees. The coolest weekly average was 74.4 degrees in Bailey County. Temperature anomalies varied throughout Texas. While temperatures were relatively cooler than weeks past, the majority of the state had above-average temperatures – as much as 5 degrees above normal. The northern portion of the Panhandle fell 1-3 degrees below normal.

As a result of the cold front, many portions of the state were fortunate to see rainfall. For several people, this was the first precipitation event in their area for a few months. Precipitation accumulations varied quite a bit with some seeing only a trace of rain while the highest total was recorded at 4.79” in Gregg County.