Weekly Climate Summary: 9/24/2023-9/30/2023

Climate in the News:

As we begin moving into fall, cold fronts are finally traveling far enough south to impact Texas. With this, an increase in storm activity can be seen as well as the negative impacts many people typically associate with spring weather. On September 25th, Round Rock experienced severe hail up to 4 inches in diameter from local thunderstorms, causing major damage to property in the area as seen in the photo below. As we continue into October, it is important to stay mindful of the current weather conditions in your area and take all necessary precautions to keep your life and property safe.

Source: Gabe Cox (Twitter: @gabecox)

Weather Synopsis:

A low pressure system made its way into Texas pushing a cold front across the state. At times, this boundary stalled out into a stationary front but was still successful in producing storms along the way. The rest of the week was mostly sunny and uneventful as a surface high pressure center was parked over the state. Below is a 7:00am surface analysis depicting the low pressure system over Texas on September 25th along with its attached stationary fronts.

Source: Weather Prediction Center

Temperature:

Last week was much warmer than normal for our state. The warmest portions had temperatures near 90 degrees Fahrenheit with the highest average recorded at 89.7 degrees in Brewster County. The majority of the state had temperatures between 80 and 85 degrees while parts of the Panhandle fell below 75 degrees. The coolest weekly average was 71.6 degrees in Bailey County. Overall, temperatures were much warmer than normal with some areas reaching up to 10 degrees above the average.

Precipitation:

Many Texans saw rainfall over the past week. The southeastern portion of the state was the primary recipient of rain this past week with some areas exceeding 1.0” in accumulations. The largest rainfall total recorded last week was 4.08” in Kimble County.

Records/Extremes:

• September 24 - Val Verde and La Salle Counties - Stations in each of these counties saw record high temperatures at 107 degrees.
• September 25 -  Williamson County - The Round Rock area experienced hail as large as 4.0” causing massive damage across the area.