College Station Monthly Summary: December 1997
A low pressure system resided over the Brazos Valley to start the final month of 1997. The associated cold front quickly moved through our area on the 3rd, bringing a cold air mass which kept average daily temperatures below normal for the rest of the first week. Towards the end of the first week, high pressure dominated the region. As this system moved into Louisiana, winds shifted to southeasterly and pushed moisture from the Gulf of Mexico inland. This resulted in widespread precipitation throughout East Texas, including College Station on the 7th. A much stronger cold front passed across East Texas on the 9th. Anomalies from normal average daily temperatures reached nearly twice the magnitude (-15°F) during the second week than they did during the first week (-8°F). Also unlike December's first cold front, this one had very little rainfall associated with it. The last couple weeks of 1997 were relatively mild for College Station with the exception of a weak cold frontal passage on the 25th. The month's 24-hour maximum precipitation amount of 0.84" on the 23rd fell during a thunderstorm which produced wind gusts of nearly 40mph.
| |
Daily Temperature |
Daily Precipitation |
Monthly Temperature Summary |
| Day |
Maximum |
Minimum |
*Departure |
Total |
Mean |
Value |
*Departure |
| 1 |
51°F |
42°F |
‑8°F |
|
Maximum |
59.7°F |
‑1.8°F |
| 2 |
61°F |
50°F |
+0°F |
0.47" |
Minimum |
38.5°F |
‑2.7°F |
| 3 |
61°F |
43°F |
‑3°F |
0.38" |
Average |
49.1°F |
‑2.3°F |
| 4 |
59°F |
33°F |
‑8°F |
|
Degree Days |
Total |
*Departure |
| 5 |
56°F |
35°F |
‑8°F |
|
Heating |
485 |
+51 |
| 6 |
53°F |
36°F |
‑8°F |
|
Cooling |
0 |
‑13 |
| 7 |
52°F |
45°F |
‑4°F |
0.28" |
Numberof Days: |
Total |
*Departure |
| 8 |
77°F |
51°F |
+11°F |
|
Maximum ≥ 90°F |
0 |
0 |
| 9 |
73°F |
48°F |
+8°F |
0.01" |
Maximum ≤ 32°F |
0 |
0 |
| 10 |
53°F |
41°F |
‑6°F |
|
Minimum ≤ 32°F |
7 |
‑1 |
| 11 |
46°F |
37°F |
‑12°F |
|
|
| 12 |
41°F |
36°F |
‑14°F |
|
Monthly Precipitation Summary |
| 13 |
48°F |
26°F |
‑15°F |
|
Precipitation |
Value |
*Departure |
| 14 |
60°F |
26°F |
‑8°F |
|
Monthly Total |
2.86" |
+0.03" |
| 15 |
65°F |
30°F |
‑4°F |
|
Year-to-date Total |
41.88" |
+2.80" |
| 16 |
69°F |
33°F |
0°F |
|
Days ≥ 0.01" |
9 |
+1 |
| 17 |
66°F |
36°F |
0°F |
|
|
| 18 |
69°F |
31°F |
‑1°F |
|
Monthly Extremes |
| 19 |
75°F |
47°F |
+10°F |
0.36" |
Extreme |
Value |
Date(s) |
| 20 |
68°F |
60°F |
+14°F |
0.39" |
Highest Temperature |
77°F |
8th |
| 21 |
61°F |
42°F |
+2°F |
0.01" |
Lowest Temperature |
26°F |
13th, 14th |
| 22 |
66°F |
38°F |
+2°F |
|
Max. 24-hour Precip. |
0.85" |
2nd-3rd |
| 23 |
61°F |
48°F |
+4°F |
0.84" |
Maximum Wind Gust |
37 mph |
23rd |
| 24 |
62°F |
40°F |
+1°F |
|
|
| 25 |
54°F |
37°F |
‑4°F |
|
Record Book for December |
| 26 |
47°F |
36°F |
‑8°F |
0.12" |
Highest Temperature |
89°F |
1922 |
| 27 |
50°F |
32°F |
‑8°F |
|
Lowest Temperature |
2°F |
1989 |
| 28 |
55°F |
33°F |
‑5°F |
|
Highest Minimum |
74°F |
1982 |
| 29 |
61°F |
32°F |
‑2°F |
|
Lowest Maximum |
23°F |
1990 |
| 30 |
69°F |
30°F |
+0°F |
|
Wettest Month |
12.66" |
1913 |
| 31 |
61°F |
41°F |
+2°F |
|
Driest Month |
0.00" |
1947 |
| |
Wettest 24 Hours |
7.54" |
1913 |
"T" indicates daily precipitation ≤ 0.005".
BOLDFACE indicates an extreme daily value for the month.
ITALICS indicates a daily record was set or tied.
*Departure from the 1961‑1990 normal. |
*New Records Set
| Day |
Parameter |
Value |
Old Record |
Year |
| No new records were set or tied in December 1997. |
*Near Records Set
| Day |
Parameter |
Value |
Record |
Year |
| No near records were reported in December 1997. |
*NOTE: Records from 1910 through July 1951 are based on observations taken at the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station main farm located 7 miles SW of College Station. Records from August 1951 through
the present are based on observations taken at Easterwood Field. |
June Normals for College Station
| Beginning of the month: |
60°F/40°F |
Monthly precipitation: |
2.65" |
| Middle of the month: |
58°F/39°F |
Precipitation days: |
9 |
| End of the month: |
61°F/40°F |
Days ≤ 32°F: |
11 |
