Texas Climate Report: May 2001
The above normal temperatures that were seen in April continued through much of May for most areas in Texas. The mean temperature in El Paso was 76°F, which was 4.2°F above the average. Although most of Texas experienced warmer than normal temperatures, the majority of sites were only slightly above the mean; however, the mean temperature for both Amarillo and Austin was 0.3°F below normal. Rainfall was mixed throughout Texas, with many areas exceeding normal rainfall, while other sites received much less than normal rainfall. Galveston and Port Arthur received only 1.06" and 1.41" of rain respectively, which is 30% or lower of the normal monthly rainfall. Lubbock and Victoria managed to get 4.20" and 6.01" respectively, which is well over mean rainfall amounts.
The month started with a stationary front positioned across the Panhandle, along with a center of low pressure in SE New Mexico. This pattern continued through the 4th when the low slowly moved through Texas. Copious amounts of rain fell over much of Texas as this system moved across the state during the 5th and 6th. The majority of May’s rainfall totals occurred during this first week. The greatest 24-hour rainfall amounts were acquired during this event in which Austin received 2.23", and Victoria got 4.54". While this system lingered, temperatures remained mild throughout the state.
Following the movement of the front, temperatures began to rise as high pressure moved over the state. This pattern was short-lived as a weak cold front entered on the 12th, bringing scattered showers to some areas. Sunny skies and warm temperatures followed until the 19th when another weak impulse moved through the state, again bringing some light showers to some areas, primarily to the Panhandle. Western Texas was experiencing warm temperatures as Del Rio tied a record on the 17th at 101°F, and Midland broke a record on the same day at 101°F as well. San Angelo tied a record on the same day at 100°F.
The most active weather occurred during the latter part of the month. A strong cold front roared through the state on the 21st bringing relatively cold Canadian air and some light rain to most areas. This contributed to six record low temperatures or tied record lows on the 22nd and/or the 23rd throughout the state. Following this front were other weak impulses that delivered trace amounts of precipitation to mostly eastern Texas. Some of the warmest temperatures were observed on the 27th and 28th as return flow from a high located in the eastern part of the country brought warm southerly winds from the Gulf of Mexico. Record warmth was observed on the 27th, at Midland, which was 102°F.
Monthly Summary for Selected Cities
|
TMAX (°F) |
TMIN (°F) |
TAVG (°F) |
PRCP |
*Deg. Days |
Station |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Max. |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Min. |
Mean |
*Dep. |
Days ≥ 0.01" |
Mo. Total |
*Perc. Norm. |
Gr'st 24 hr. |
*HDD |
*CDD |
Abilene |
85.0 |
+0.6 |
97 |
62.6 |
+1.5 |
43 |
73.8 |
+1.1 |
6 |
3.63 |
122% |
1.52 |
3 |
285 |
Amarillo |
78.2 |
‑0.9 |
92 |
52.1 |
+0.5 |
39 |
65.1 |
‑0.3 |
12 |
3.05 |
123% |
1.37 |
75 |
88 |
Austin |
87.0 |
+2.3 |
93 |
65.8 |
‑0.7 |
54 |
76.4 |
+0.8 |
9 |
3.27 |
68% |
1.62 |
0 |
362 |
Brownsville |
89.6 |
+1.8 |
95 |
71.5 |
‑0.5 |
65 |
80.6 |
+0.7 |
5 |
0.49 |
17% |
0.46 |
0 |
487 |
College Station |
88.6 |
+4.6 |
94 |
66.3 |
+1.3 |
53 |
77.5 |
+2.9 |
13 |
4.90 |
102% |
1.82 |
0 |
393 |
Corpus Christi |
87.2 |
+1.0 |
92 |
68.7 |
‑0.8 |
60 |
77.9 |
|
4 |
1.55 |
47% |
0.81 |
0 |
407 |
Dallas‑Fort Worth |
83.9 |
+1.0 |
92 |
64.5 |
+1.9 |
53 |
74.2 |
+1.4 |
9 |
5.58 |
114% |
2.90 |
0 |
293 |
Del Rio |
93.5 |
+5.3 |
104 |
68.8 |
+2.5 |
53 |
81.1 |
+3.8 |
4 |
1.33 |
66% |
1.23 |
0 |
506 |
El Paso |
90.2 |
+3.1 |
101 |
61.8 |
+5.3 |
51 |
76.0 |
+4.2 |
1 |
0.18 |
72% |
0.18 |
0 |
351 |
Galveston |
82.8 |
+3.0 |
86 |
72.4 |
+0.6 |
66 |
77.6 |
+1.8 |
6 |
1.06 |
30% |
0.47 |
0 |
396 |
Houston |
86.6 |
+2.0 |
92 |
65.2 |
+0.8 |
52 |
75.9 |
+1.4 |
9 |
3.53 |
67% |
1.35 |
0 |
344 |
Lubbock |
83.7 |
+0.6 |
95 |
56.5 |
+0.7 |
44 |
70.1 |
+0.7 |
11 |
4.20 |
179% |
1.77 |
24 |
189 |
Midland |
89.8 |
+2.4 |
102 |
61.9 |
+3.8 |
49 |
75.9 |
+3.1 |
6 |
1.14 |
58% |
0.64 |
0 |
348 |
Port Arthur |
85.5 |
+1.4 |
90 |
65.6 |
‑0.7 |
51 |
75.6 |
+0.4 |
8 |
1.39 |
24% |
0.79 |
0 |
338 |
San Angelo |
88.1 |
+0.7 |
100 |
63.1 |
+2.0 |
44 |
75.6 |
+1.4 |
7 |
2.51 |
84% |
1.70 |
2 |
339 |
San Antonio |
86.0 |
+0.7 |
94 |
66.5 |
+0.8 |
54 |
76.3 |
+0.8 |
9 |
2.48 |
59% |
1.33 |
0 |
357 |
Victoria |
86.8 |
+1.5 |
92 |
67.6 |
‑0.1 |
57 |
77.2 |
+0.6 |
8 |
6.01 |
134% |
5.25 |
0 |
390 |
Waco |
85.9 |
+1.5 |
91 |
65.3 |
+1.1 |
47 |
75.6 |
+1.3 |
6 |
3.54 |
77% |
2.08 |
0 |
335 |
Wichita Falls |
84.2 |
+0.9 |
93 |
62.3 |
+3.2 |
48 |
73.3 |
+2.1 |
8 |
3.55 |
87% |
2.09 |
2 |
266 |
Shreveport, LA |
85.5 |
+2.3 |
91 |
63.7 |
+1.7 |
50 |
74.6 |
+2.0 |
10 |
4.31 |
83% |
1.84 |
0 |
308 |
*Dep.: Departure of the monthly average temperature from the 1961-1990 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center. *Perc. Norm.: Monthly precipitation total divided by 1961-1990 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center. *Deg. Days: Computed daily as the departure of the daily average temperature from 65°F and aggregated over the entire month. *Heating degree day (HDD): Each unit corresponds to a -1°F departure of a daily average temperature from 65°F. *Cooling degree day (HDD): Each unit corresponds to a +1°F departure of a daily average temperature from 65°F. |
Monthly Extremes
Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
BON WIER 2 ENE |
NEWTON |
0.00 |
CRANDALL 2 NW |
KAUFMAN |
0.00 |
EXXON GAS PLANT |
KLEBERG |
0.00 |
FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
MARATHON |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
PAINT ROCK |
CONCHO |
0.00 |
TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
CLARENDON |
DONLEY |
12.52 |
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
CLARENDON |
DONLEY |
9.25 |
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
PANHANDLE |
CARSON |
63.1 |
Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
FALCON DAM |
STARR |
84.0 |
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
CHANNING 2 |
HARTLEY |
76.4 |
Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
CASTOLON |
BREWSTER |
101.5 |
Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
HEATH CANYON |
BREWSTER |
116 |
Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
46 |
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
WELLINGTON |
COLLINGSWORTH |
41.7 |
Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
PORT ARANSAS |
NUECES |
74.1 |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
74.1 |
Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
GOLIAD |
GOLIAD |
86 |
Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
WELLINGTON |
COLLINGSWORTH |
31 |
New Monthly Records
Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
0.00 (2000) |
29 |
LAMPASAS |
LAMPASAS |
0.45 |
0.75 (1937) |
100 |
MARATHON |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1998) |
60 |
PAINT ROCK |
CONCHO |
0.00 |
0.24 (1945) |
81 |
TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2000) |
22 |
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
CLARENDON |
DONLEY |
12.52 |
10.65 (1978) |
89 |
HART |
CASTRO |
6.68 |
6.41 (1999) |
44 |
MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
6.76 |
6.36 (1999) |
20 |
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
CLARENDON |
DONLEY |
9.25 |
5.71 (1958) |
89 |
AQUILLA 1 SSE |
HILL |
3.56 |
3.05 (1994) |
10 |
DEKALB |
BOWIE |
4.75 |
4.60 (1989) |
53 |
FLOMOT 4 NE |
MOTLEY |
4.36 |
2.93 (1996) |
51 |
MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
4.60 |
3.52 (1988) |
20 |
PLAINVIEW |
HALE |
5.28 |
3.96 (1967) |
92 |
SHAMROCK 2 |
WHEELER |
5.65 |
4.43 (1990) |
37 |
TURKEY |
HALL |
4.20 |
3.40 (1943) |
45 |
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
WELLINGTON |
COLLINGSWORTH |
63.8 |
64.1 (1976) |
40 |
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
BRACKETTVILLE |
KINNEY |
77.0 |
79.0 (1921) |
69 |
Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
LAKE FORK RSVR |
WOOD |
85.9 |
83.5 (2000) |
13 |
PORT O CONNOR |
CALHOUN |
89.3 |
85.2 (1985) |
41 |
WACO DAM |
MCLENNAN |
86.5 |
86.4 (1984) |
30 |
Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
CASTOLON |
BREWSTER |
114 |
114 (1989) |
23 |
PERSIMMON GAP |
BREWSTER |
110 |
109 (2000) |
17 |
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
WELLINGTON |
COLLINGSWORTH |
41.7 |
50.7 (1983) |
40 |
Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
BAY CITY WTR WKS |
MATAGORDA |
78 |
78 (2000) |
55 |
CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
78 |
75 (2000) |
48 |
DAINGERFIELD 9 S |
MORRIS |
76 |
76 (2000) |
39 |
GOLIAD |
GOLIAD |
86 |
80 (1996) |
62 |
MT LOCKE |
JEFF DAVIS |
69 |
68 (1996) |
56 |
PANTHER JUNCTION |
BREWSTER |
79 |
78 (2000) |
38 |
PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
74 |
74 (1996) |
11 |
Lowest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
HORDS CREEK DAM |
COLEMAN |
36 |
36 (1979) |
46 |
WELLINGTON |
COLLINGSWORTH |
31 |
36 (1984) |
40 |
Climatic Averages for June
|
TMAX (°F) |
TMIN (°F) |
PRCP (inches) |
No. Days in Month |
Deg. Days |
Station |
Avg. |
Record |
Avg. |
Record |
Avg. |
Gr'st Mo. |
Gr'st 24 hr. |
≥ 90°F |
≤ 32°F |
PRCP ≥ 0.01" |
HDD |
CDD |
Abilene |
91.4 |
110 (1907) |
68.9 |
44 (1919) |
2.86 |
9.60 (1961) |
4.35 (1941) |
19.0 |
0.0 |
6.0 |
0 |
456 |
Amarillo |
87.6 |
108 (1998) |
60.7 |
38 (1917) |
3.70 |
10.73 (1965) |
6.15 (1960) |
12.8 |
0.0 |
8.9 |
6 |
279 |
Austin |
91.1 |
108 (1998) |
71.5 |
51 (1926) |
3.72 |
14.96 (1981) |
8.65 (1941) |
20.8 |
0.0 |
6.8 |
0 |
489 |
Brownsville |
91.0 |
103 (1918) |
74.9 |
56 (1919) |
2.73 |
13.80 (1887) |
8.18 (1942) |
22.9 |
0.0 |
6.3 |
0 |
540 |
College Station |
90.3 |
108 (1901) |
71.0 |
53 (1970) |
3.68 |
15.03 (1905) |
6.70 (1905) |
19.7 |
0.0 |
6.5 |
0 |
471 |
Corpus Christi |
90.4 |
106 (1998) |
73.4 |
56 (1919) |
3.38 |
13.35 (1973) |
8.26 (1924) |
19.4 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
0 |
507 |
Dallas‑Fort Worth |
91.9 |
113 (1980) |
70.0 |
48 (1903) |
2.98 |
11.58 (1928) |
4.14 (1928) |
19.5 |
0.0 |
6.4 |
0 |
480 |
Del Rio |
93.6 |
112 (1988) |
71.7 |
49 (1919) |
2.11 |
13.71 (1935) |
8.88 (1935) |
24.7 |
0.0 |
5.2 |
0 |
531 |
El Paso |
96.5 |
114 (1994) |
64.3 |
46 (1988) |
0.67 |
3.18 (1984) |
1.82 (1897) |
26.0 |
0.0 |
3.1 |
0 |
462 |
Galveston |
85.0 |
99 (1918) |
77.2 |
57 (1903) |
4.44 |
15.49 (1919) |
12.56 (1961) |
1.1 |
0.0 |
7.2 |
0 |
483 |
Houston |
90.1 |
103 (1980) |
70.6 |
52 (1970) |
4.96 |
16.28 (1989) |
10.35 (1989) |
18.4 |
0.0 |
8.5 |
0 |
462 |
Lubbock |
90.0 |
114 (1994) |
64.3 |
39 (1917) |
2.75 |
8.48 (2000) |
5.70 (1967) |
16.9 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
0 |
366 |
Midland |
93.4 |
116 (1994) |
65.7 |
47 (1983) |
1.55 |
5.10 (1940) |
3.95 (1940) |
20.9 |
0.0 |
5.2 |
0 |
438 |
Port Arthur |
89.4 |
106 (1902) |
72.0 |
53 (1903) |
5.59 |
18.90 (1989) |
10.20 (1961) |
17.1 |
0.0 |
7.9 |
0 |
471 |
San Angelo |
92.7 |
110 (1994) |
66.4 |
40 (1912) |
2.33 |
6.01 (1982) |
3.88 (1999) |
21.0 |
0.0 |
5.4 |
0 |
435 |
San Antonio |
91.8 |
107 (1998) |
72.6 |
48 (1919) |
3.81 |
11.95 (1986) |
6.30 (1986) |
20.7 |
0.0 |
6.4 |
0 |
516 |
Victoria |
90.7 |
107 (1934) |
72.7 |
54 (1919) |
4.89 |
12.68 (1973) |
9.30 (1977) |
20.1 |
0.0 |
7.5 |
0 |
501 |
Waco |
92.0 |
109 (1980) |
70.9 |
52 (1964) |
3.28 |
12.06 (1961) |
6.40 (1938) |
22.1 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
0 |
495 |
Wichita Falls |
91.5 |
117 (1980) |
68.0 |
50 (1928) |
3.52 |
8.60 (1989) |
5.36 (1985) |
20.8 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
0 |
444 |
Shreveport, LA |
89.7 |
104 (1936) |
69.0 |
52 (1977) |
4.29 |
17.11 (1989) |
8.00 (1902) |
17.2 |
0.0 |
7.9 |
0 |
432 |
Climatic averages are based on 1961-1990 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |