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College Station Monthly Summary: May 2011

College Station picked up some much needed precipitation during May 2011, but the 3.37" of total precipitation did little to improve the exceptional drought that was in place throughout the entire month. A strong storm system brought 1.98" of rain on the 12th, a daily amount accounting for over 25 percent of the current 2011 precipitation total at Easterwood Airport (7.66"), which is less than half the normal year-to-date precipitation. An extremely May strong cold front brought only 0.04" of precipitation on the 2nd, but brought one of the coldest ever May days in College Station as the daily maximum on 63°F was only one degree more than the all-time lowest maximum temperature (62°F in 1979). This is even more remarkable given that this day occurred only one day after a daily maximum temperature record was set (94°F on the 1st) and only 12 days after perhaps the all-time warmest 24-hour April period in College Station (April 20th-21st, 2011). A week later on the 9th, the maximum temperature topped out at 99°F, which was the warmest temperature recorded in College Station during May 2011 and was only a degree shy of tying the all-time May record (100°F, most recently in 1996). So within a single week, College Station had both one of its coldest May days and warmest May days ever. A week after a storm system brought nearly two inches of rain on the 12th, thunderstorms that brought hail and high wind to the Brazos Valley dropped over an inch of rain at Easterwood Airport from the 20th-21st. The last two weeks of the month were warm, with several records and near records accompanying 14 straight days (18th-31st) of above normal temperatures.

  Daily Temperature Daily Precipitation Monthly Temperature Summary
Day Maximum Minimum *Departure Total Mean Value *Departure
1 94°F 56°F +4°F T Maximum 89.1°F +3.8°F
2 63°F 53°F ‑14°F 0.04" Minimum 66.4°F +1.1°F
3 77°F 51°F ‑8°F   Average 77.8°F +2.5°F
4 80°F 47°F ‑8°F   Degree Days Total *Departure
5 85°F 53°F ‑4°F   Heating 9 +4
6 90°F 58°F +1°F   Cooling 413 +89
7 95°F 66°F +8°F   Numberof Days: Total *Departure
8 96°F 73°F +12°F   Maximum ≥ 90°F 17 +11
9 99°F 74°F +12°F   Maximum ≤ 32°F 0 0
10 97°F 75°F +12°F   Minimum ≤ 32°F 0 0
11 88°F 72°F +6°F 0.22"  
12 77°F 64°F ‑4°F 1.98" Monthly Precipitation Summary
13 88°F 61°F 0°F   Precipitation Value *Departure
14 78°F 57°F ‑8°F   Monthly Total 3.37" ‑1.68"
15 81°F 54°F ‑8°F   Year-to-date Total 7.66" ‑9.13"
16 84°F 63°F ‑2°F   Days ≥ 0.01" 5 ‑3
17 87°F 58°F ‑4°F    
18 87°F 69°F +2°F   Monthly Extremes
19 86°F 72°F +3°F   Extreme Value Date(s)
20 92°F 69°F +4°F 0.89" Highest Temperature 99°F 9th
21 88°F 70°F +2°F 0.24" Lowest Temperature 47°F 4th
22 93°F 76°F +8°F   Max. 24-hour Precip. 1.98" 12th
23 93°F 74°F +6°F   Maximum Wind Gust 44 mph 1st
24 94°F 76°F +8°F    
25 97°F 77°F +10°F T Record Book for May
26 90°F 67°F +0°F   Highest Temperature 100°F 1998
27 98°F 70°F +6°F   Lowest Temperature 42°F 1954
28 98°F 75°F +8°F   Highest Minimum 82°F 1988
29 96°F 75°F +8°F   Lowest Maximum 62°F 1979
30 96°F 77°F +8°F   Wettest Month 14.70" 1929
31 96°F 76°F +7°F   Driest Month 0.11" 1998
  Wettest 24 Hours 6.23" 1983
"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 1971‑2000 normal.


*New Records Set

Day Parameter Value Old Record Year
1st Tied highest maximum temperature 94°F 94°F 2011
8th Tied highest maximum temperature 96°F 96°F 2011
9th Tied highest maximum temperature 99°F 99°F 2011
10th Tied highest maximum temperature 97°F 97°F 2011
22nd Tied highest minimum temperature 76°F 76°F 1927
25th Tied highest maximum temperature 97°F 97°F 2011
27th Tied highest maximum temperature 98°F 98°F 1958
28th Tied highest maximum temperature 98°F 98°F 1958

*Near Records Set

Day Parameter Value Record Year
2nd Tied 2nd lowest maximum temperature 63°F 62°F 1916
4th Tied 4th lowest minimum temperature 47°F 42°F 1954
7th Tied 2nd highest maximum temperature 95°F 99°F 1998
9th Tied 3rd highest minimum temperature 74°F 76°F 1933
10th Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature 75°F 76°F 1933
24th Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature 76°F 78°F 2008
25th Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature 77°F 82°F 1988
29th Tied 3rd highest maximum temperature 96°F 100°F 1996
29th Tied 4th highest minimum temperature 75°F 76°F 1927
30th Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature 77°F 80°F 2004
30th Tied 4th highest maximum temperature 96°F 99°F 2003
31st Tied 2nd highest minimum temperature 76°F 77°F 1927
*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: 88°F/68°F Monthly precipitation: 3.79"
Middle of the month: 92°F/72°F Precipitation days: 7
End of the month: 94°F/73°F Days ≥ 90°F:  21
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