College Station Monthly Summary: July 2002

For the Brazos Valley, July was a very atypical month. From the first few days until nearly the end of the month, we experienced near to far below normal temperatures. The lowest temperatures recorded this month can be directly correlated with the tropical moisture that was rained out across the eastern two thirds of the state. In general, the Brazos Valley experienced between 3 and 6 inches of rain while the tropical wave was moving across the area, with some reports of much higher amounts. Some localized flooding, with road ways and bridges being washed out, was reported to the south of the Bryan/College Station area. These rains brought the monthly total for July to more than twice what is typical. However, the rainfall received brought much needed relief for many of the agricultural industries that operate in the Brazos Valley. The summer rains seemed almost ironic because the Brazos Valley, as well as much of the state, was experiencing a moderate to severe drought. This is because the typically wet spring season brought little rain, while the typically hot and dry summer season brought rains and flooding to many areas. Until July, most rain buckets had received only a small fraction of their yearly totals. Officially, the rains received in July did not bring the yearly rainfall total anywhere near the normal line for the Brazos Valley. The weather observing station at Easterwood Airport in College Station is still more than seven inches below where it should be at the first of August. For the last third of the month, the typical summer high pressure pattern began to set up across the Couth Central portion of the country. This is the pattern that usually brings hot and dry conditions to the state in the summer months.

*New Records Set

*Near Records Set

August Normals for College Station