Weekly Climate Summary: 10/15/23-10/21/23

Climate in the News:

The Climate Prediction Center recently updated their winter seasonal outlook. Our state is expected to be either near normal or have equal chances at above or below normal temperatures while precipitation will be above average for most of Texas. The ongoing El Niño will be the main driver of this winter’s weather, and with each month’s outlook the chances of normal temperatures and enhanced precipitation have increased for the season as a result. 

Source: Climate Prediction Center

Source: Climate Prediction Center

Weather Synopsis:

The beginning of last week was uneventful as a result of a high pressure center located over the state. At the end of the week, a low pressure system pushed another cold front across our state, bringing cooler temperatures with it. Below is a surface analysis from October 19 at 10:00 am showing the low pressure system to our northeast and its attached cold front extending across our state.

Source: Storm Prediction Center

Temperature:

Last week had varying temperatures across the state. The warmest portions had temperatures near 75 degrees Fahrenheit with the highest average recorded at 74.1 degrees in Presidio County. The majority of the state had temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees while parts of the Panhandle fell below 60 degrees. The coolest weekly average was 56.8 degrees in Castro County. Overall, temperatures were up to 5 degrees above normal west of I-35 and up to 5 degrees below normal east of I-35.

Precipitation:

Last week brought very little rain across the state with only a few areas seeing measurable rainfall. The highest accumulation for the week was recorded at 0.82” in Zapata County.