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Texas Climate Report: February 2003

Rather mild weather characterized the beginning of the month of February. Temperatures ranged from the lower 70s in the Panhandle to the lower 80s in West Texas. This unseasonably warm weather soon came to an end on the 3rd when a cold front moved across the state. This frontal system was rather dry, and moderated temperatures to typical February normals. By the 7th, an area of extremely cold arctic air had plummeted southward. Temperatures ranged from the lower 30s in the Amarillo area, to the upper 40s in Brownsville. This storm system brought a fair amount of precipitation to the state: Beaumont/Port Arthur (1.09"), College Station (0.79"), Houston (0.85"), Longview (0.80"), Lufkin (0.66"), and Tyler (0.60").

Temperatures stayed fairly cold for 2 days before the next system moved into the state on the 9th. This system moderated temperatures into the 50s and 60s across the state, and brought a few showers and thunderstorms with it as well. Temperatures stayed quite mild until the 14th when the next low pressure and cold frontal system moved across Texas. By the 15th, the temperature contrast across the state was quite evident. In Amarillo temperatures were in the 30s, and in the lower 80s in Brownsville. Cold air trekked southward across the state and by the 16th most of the state had high temperatures in the 40s with high pressure domination. With high pressure shifting eastward, temperatures warmed to near normal values for the month of February.

On the 20th an arctic frontal system brought rain showers and dropped temperatures to the 40s and 50s. Ample amounts of precipitation were reported in College Station with 4.20" (a new 24-hour precipitation record), Austin (2.62"), Lufkin (2.38"), and Temple (1.00"). With the retreat of high pressure temperatures warmed to 60s and 70s by the 22nd. The passage of a polar front on the 24th caused an amazing temperature contrast across the state from the teens in the Panhandle to the 70s in the Lower Valley region of Texas. Numerous areas in Texas experienced winter precipitation on the 24th, which included the regions of the High Plains, Low Rolling Plains, and the North Central Texas. On the 25th and 26th the majority of the state reported highs in the 30s and 40s. Temperature moderation occurred by the 27th, and the month of February came to a close with relatively normal readings.

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 57.4 ‑3.3 82 34.9 ‑1.6 15 46.1 ‑2.5 6 0.93 82% 0.74 526 4
Amarillo 51.0 ‑3.1 76 24.1 ‑2.9 4 37.6 ‑3.0 6 0.20 36% 0.17 761 0
Austin 59.6 ‑5.5 78 42.8 ‑1.2 24 51.2 ‑3.4 10 3.86 194% 2.56 386 6
Brownsville 70.5 ‑1.7 83 52.7 ‑0.6 35 61.6 ‑1.1 8 0.55 47% 0.24 153 65
College Station 59.1 ‑6.4 76 42.5 ‑0.9 29 50.8 ‑3.7 11 7.31 307% 5.05 397 4
Corpus Christi 65.7 ‑4.0 87 48.9 ‑0.4 33 57.3 ‑2.2 3 1.34 73% 0.94 236 27
Dallas‑Fort Worth 54.6 ‑5.5 77 36.6 ‑2.1 20 45.6 ‑3.8 10 3.07 130% 1.06 541 4
Del Rio 64.5 ‑3.5 80 43.6 ‑0.5 27 54.1 ‑2.0 7 0.43 45% 0.17 305 7
El Paso 61.2 ‑2.2 76 39.1 +1.6 28 50.2 ‑0.3 7 1.37 351% 1.02 409 0
Galveston 61.0 ‑3.4 73 49.8 ‑1.7 38 55.4 ‑2.6 6 1.63 62% 0.70 262 1
Houston 61.6 ‑4.9 77 46.0 +1.7 32 53.8 ‑1.6 11 4.08 137% 1.30 314 6
Lubbock 57.5 ‑0.3 80 29.1 +0.2 12 43.3 2 0.06 8% 0.05 598 0
Midland 58.6 ‑4.4 82 34.2 +0.1 17 46.4 ‑2.2 3 0.72 124% 0.64 512 0
Port Arthur 61.5 ‑3.8 75 46.1 +0.2 32 53.8 ‑1.8 8 5.83 174% 2.85 310 4
San Angelo 59.4 ‑4.1 79 35.8 ‑0.2 18 47.6 ‑2.1 7 1.57 133% 1.11 481 1
San Antonio 62.5 ‑4.6 83 43.6 +1.2 27 53.1 ‑1.6 15 2.15 123% 0.89 339 12
Victoria 64.5 ‑2.1 84 45.6 ‑1.1 31 55.1 ‑1.6 13 1.65 81% 0.76 289 17
Waco 56.5 ‑5.8 73 38.7 ‑0.6 22 47.6 ‑3.2 10 2.56 105% 1.00 481 1
Wichita Falls 53.9 ‑4.2 85 31.8 ‑1.6 15 42.8 ‑2.9 7 0.83 53% 0.43 617 6
Shreveport, LA 55.6 ‑6.4 73 39.4 ‑0.9 31 47.5 ‑3.7 15 7.66 182% 2.11 483 1
Bold-italics indicate a value broke or tied the record from a previous year.
*Dep.: Departure of the monthly average temperature from the 1971-2000 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
*Perc. Norm.: Monthly precipitation total divided by 1971-2000 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.

feb 2003 average temperatures
feb 2003 average precipitation

Monthly Extremes

Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value
BENJAMIN 15 W KING 0.00
BRAVO HARTLEY 0.00
CHAPMAN RCH NUECES 0.00
CROWELL FOARD 0.00
DUMAS MOORE 0.00
FLOYDADA FLOYD 0.00
LUBBOCK 6 NNE LUBBOCK 0.00
WHEELER WHEELER 0.00
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value
MAUD BOWIE 10.51
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches)
Station County Value
DEWEYVILLE #2 NEWTON 6.28
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
PERRYTON OCHILTREE 32.6
Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE CAMERON 62.6
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
PERRYTON OCHILTREE 45.7
Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
HEATH CANYON BREWSTER 73.8
Highest Maximum Temperature  (°F)
Station County Value
FT STOCKTON PECOS AP PECOS 94
Lowest Maximum Temperature  (°F)
Station County Value
PERRYTON OCHILTREE 8
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
LIPSCOMB LIPSCOMB 19.2
Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE CAMERON 54.7
Highest Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE CAMERON 70
LA JOYA HIDALGO 70
MC COOK HIDALGO 70
Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
LIPSCOMB LIPSCOMB -2

New Monthly Records

Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
BENJAMIN 15 W KING 0.00 0.00 (1996) 18
BRAVO HARTLEY 0.00 0.00 (2000) 59
CHAPMAN RCH NUECES 0.00 0.00 (1989) 40
CROWELL FOARD 0.00 0.00 (1996) 84
DUMAS MOORE 0.00 0.00 (1999) 52
FLOYDADA FLOYD 0.00 0.00 (1999) 58
WHEELER WHEELER 0.00 0.00 (1995) 19
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
CENTER SHELBY 8.90 8.23 (1991) 62
ATLANTA CASS 8.82 8.30 (1983) 46
CALDWELL BURLESON 9.40 9.24 (1992) 39
DELL CITY 5 SSW HUDSPETH 1.88 1.20 (2002) 21
DEWEYVILLE NEWTON 9.80 8.09 (1997) 34
HARLETON HARRISON 8.77 7.83 (1989) 50
NEUVILLE SHELBY 8.94 7.61 (1946) 39
ORANGE 9 N ORANGE 9.80 8.09 (1997) 34
TORNILLO 2 SSE EL PASO 1.51 1.24 (1995) 24
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
COLLEGE STN BRAZOS 5.05 3.82 (1898) 107
PALESTINE ANDERSON 2.75 2.52 (1932) 67
BREMOND ROBERTSON 2.93 2.91 (1986) 40
CALDWELL BURLESON 5.20 3.30 (1965) 39
CEDAR CREEK 5 S BASTROP 3.16 2.80 (1992) 24
DEWEYVILLE NEWTON 5.10 4.00 (1995) 34
DIME BOX LEE 4.16 3.82 (1949) 55
GAINESVILLE 5 ENE COOKE 2.58 2.23 (1997) 16
LA GRANGE FAYETTE 4.05 3.65 (1990) 85
LEXINGTON LEE 4.30 2.55 (1965) 41
LUFKIN 11 NW ANGELINA 3.23 2.93 (1997) 21
MADISONVILLE MADISON 3.54 3.40 (1931) 67
ORANGE 9 N ORANGE 5.10 4.00 (1995) 34
ROCKDALE MILAM 3.15 2.43 (1992) 39
SEGUIN 1 SSW GUADALUPE 2.10 1.92 (2000) 11
SMITHVILLE BASTROP 3.95 3.51 (1924) 80
SOMERVILLE DAM BURLESON 3.78 2.25 (1992) 37
THORNDALE MILAM 3.48 2.99 (1986) 35
VALLEY MILLS BOSQUE 1.90 1.70 (2001) 11
WHITEHOUSE 2 SE SMITH 2.69 2.60 (2000) 10
WIMBERLEY 1 NW HAYS 3.33 2.27 (1998) 18
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
CHANNING 2 HARTLEY 35.8 35.8 (1994) 15
SANFORD DAM HUTCHINSON 37.0 37.7 (1994) 10
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
FT WORTH MEACHAM FLD TARRANT 54.1 54.8 (1948) 24
ARLINGTON SIX FLAGS TARRANT 54.4 56.9 (1997) 12
BISHOP NUECES 65.8 66.9 (1941) 18
COPPER BREAKS SP HARDEMAN 52.8 53.2 (1993) 14
FT MCKAVETT MENARD 59.7 60.9 (2002) 10
FOWLERTON LA SALLE 64.4 64.4 (1978) 39
PLEASANTON ATASCOSA 65.0 65.5 (1997) 12
SANFORD DAM HUTCHINSON 49.4 50.1 (1997) 10
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CAMERON 65.0 65.4 (1994) 11
WELDER W'LIFE FOUND SAN PATRICIO 65.9 67.0 (2002) 12
Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
BEAUMONT RSCH CTR JEFFERSON 86 86 (1954) 36
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 83 82 (1996) 23
EL PASO 32 ENE HUDSPETH 83 76 (2000) 17
PORT ARANSAS NUECES 85 79 (1997) 16
Lowest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
BISHOP NUECES 36 40 (1942) 18
BRACKETTVILLE 22 N KINNEY 37 38 (1996) 12
BROWNSVILLE CAMERON 47 47 (1908) 15
CHANNING 2 HARTLEY 11 12 (1996) 15
COPPER BREAKS SP HARDEMAN 19 20 (1996) 14
DENVER CITY YOAKUM 20 22 (1993) 12
FT MCKAVETT MENARD 27 35 (1880) 10
HUDSPETH RIVER RANCH VAL VERDE 35 35 (1996) 14
PLEASANTON ATASCOSA 35 35 (1996) 12
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CAMERON 38 45 (1996) 11
STERLING CITY STERLING 23 23 (1989) 32
WELDER W'LIFE FOUND SAN PATRICIO 36 37 (1996) 12
Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
EL CAMPO WHARTON 68 68 (1957) 27
EL PASO 32 ENE HUDSPETH 52 50 (1989) 20
WACO DAM MCLENNAN 62 62 (1976) 29
Lowest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
PILOT POINT ISL DU BOI DENTON 1 3 (1985) 40

Climatic Averages for March

  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 69.1 98 (1916) 43.8 9 (1948) 1.41 5.16 (1979) 2.78 (1943) 0.6 3.9 5.3 299 28
Amarillo 62.2 96 (1907) 33.6 ‑3 (1948) 1.13 4.14 (2000) 3.13 (1922) 0.1 14.4 5.4 542 2
Austin 72.5 98 (1971) 50.9 18 (1948) 2.14 7.23 (1926) 3.00 (1900) 0.6 0.8 7.9 163 59
Brownsville 78.0 106 (1984) 59.5 28 (1901) 0.93 6.46 (1903) 2.76 (1997) 1.6 0.1 4.2 45 179
College Station 72.6 96 (1946) 50.5 17 (2002) 2.84 8.03 (1926) 4.20 (1980) 0.1 1.2 8.1 149 42
Corpus Christi 75.8 102 (1989) 56.2 24 (1980) 1.74 7.69 (1903) 4.66 (1903) 1.1 0.3 5.1 77 121
Dallas‑Fort Worth 68.3 100 (1916) 46.4 10 (1943) 3.06 7.39 (2002) 4.43 (2002) 0.2 2.1 7.5 248 10
Del Rio 76.0 103 (1928) 51.6 19 (1922) 0.96 3.20 (1990) 2.33 (1935) 2.3 0.7 4.9 111 86
El Paso 70.2 93 (1907) 43.7 14 (1971) 0.26 2.26 (1958) 1.32 (1883) 0.0 4.4 2.2 272 8
Galveston 70.0 85 (1879) 58.2 26 (1980) 2.76 9.49 (1973) 8.10 (1973) 0.0 0.2 7.4 94 65
Houston 73.3 96 (1946) 51.3 21 (1943) 3.36 10.66 (1922) 7.47 (1972) 0.1 1.3 9.1 156 63
Lubbock 66.2 95 (1989) 36.2 ‑2 (1922) 0.76 3.56 (1941) 1.80 (1973) 0.2 8.6 4.1 419 7
Midland 70.9 97 (1946) 40.8 9 (1980) 0.42 2.86 (1970) 2.20 (1970) 0.5 4.9 2.6 302 15
Port Arthur 72.0 95 (1946) 52.4 23 (2002) 3.75 10.21 (1949) 6.04 (1979) 0.0 0.6 8.0 143 55
San Angelo 71.1 98 (1908) 43.3 8 (1980) 0.99 5.00 (1953) 4.65 (1953) 0.8 4.0 4.6 258 30
San Antonio 74.3 100 (1991) 49.9 19 (2002) 1.89 6.12 (1992) 3.59 (1992) 0.9 1.5 7.9 149 68
Victoria 73.4 98 (1939) 53.9 21 (2002) 2.25 11.61 (1997) 5.04 (1997) 0.4 0.5 7.0 113 84
Waco 70.2 100 (1971) 46.8 15 (1948) 2.48 8.38 (1905) 3.90 (1912) 0.3 2.1 7.9 235 39
Wichita Falls 67.2 100 (1971) 41.1 6 (1948) 2.27 6.29 (1999) 4.32 (1988) 0.7 5.5 6.4 354 19
Shreveport, LA 69.7 92 (1974) 47.2 15 (1943) 4.18 11.99 (1945) 5.43 (1945) 0.1 2.4 9.7 247 31
Climatic averages are based on 1971-2000 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
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