Texas Climate Report: February 2004
The month of February was characterized by cold and wet weather. Half of the first order stations received over 10 days of measurable precipitation, and only Brownsville, Del Rio, El Paso, and San Antonio had below normal precipitation for the month. The month began with a cold front that passed over the state on the 4th and 5th. This brought rain to most of south and east Texas as well as near-freezing temperatures to most of the state. The next front came through on the 9th-11th and soaked most of south and east Texas. Houston, Galveston, Shreveport, and Austin received at least 2 inches of rain, and College Station and Port Arthur collected over 3 inches.
Following this front, an arctic air mass blanketed the Panhandle and West Texas regions on the 12th. Over the next week, temperatures across the state dropped into the teens, 20s and 30s, and northern Texas received heavy snowfall. Lubbock received 1.2", Waco received 2.3", Amarillo received 2.6", and Dallas received 3" of snow. After the arctic air moved out, a warm front brought temperatures into the 60s and 70s for most of the state. A series of cold fronts helped to keep things near their February normals until the next storm system hit on the 23rd. A low pressure system passing through the state on the 23rd-25th brought even more precipitation to most of the state. College Station, Houston, Lubbock, and Wichita Falls received at least 0.50"; Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Galveston, San Angelo, Victoria, and Waco all recorded at least 1.00"; Shreveport and Abilene accumulated at least 1.50" of rain for these days. The tail end of a cold front brought scattered rainfall across the central and northern parts of the state on the 28th and 29th, but temperatures remained at or above their February normals for the final week.
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 |
55.9 |
‑4.8 |
80 |
34.0 |
‑2.5 |
21 |
45.0 |
‑3.6 |
7 |
2.90 |
257% |
1.19 |
576 |
2 |
| Amarillo |
50.0 |
‑4.1 |
80 |
25.1 |
‑1.9 |
10 |
37.6 |
‑3.0 |
7 |
1.42 |
258% |
0.87 |
787 |
0 |
| Austin |
60.9 |
‑4.2 |
76 |
42.6 |
‑1.4 |
30 |
51.7 |
‑2.9 |
12 |
3.73 |
187% |
1.11 |
379 |
1 |
| Brownsville |
71.9 |
‑0.3 |
84 |
52.5 |
‑0.8 |
39 |
62.2 |
‑0.5 |
6 |
0.79 |
67% |
0.70 |
129 |
56 |
| College Station |
59.0 |
‑6.5 |
75 |
41.9 |
‑1.5 |
29 |
50.4 |
‑4.1 |
14 |
5.91 |
248% |
2.20 |
416 |
0 |
| Corpus Christi |
67.1 |
‑2.6 |
79 |
48.9 |
‑0.4 |
36 |
58.0 |
‑1.5 |
7 |
2.14 |
116% |
1.39 |
219 |
23 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
54.6 |
‑5.5 |
72 |
37.0 |
‑1.7 |
25 |
45.8 |
‑3.6 |
9 |
3.84 |
162% |
1.19 |
549 |
0 |
| Del Rio |
66.5 |
‑1.5 |
81 |
44.0 |
‑0.1 |
27 |
55.2 |
‑0.9 |
6 |
0.74 |
77% |
0.40 |
280 |
5 |
| El Paso |
58.4 |
‑5.0 |
75 |
33.2 |
‑4.3 |
19 |
45.8 |
‑4.7 |
2 |
0.05 |
13% |
0.03 |
549 |
0 |
| Galveston |
60.6 |
‑3.8 |
72 |
49.0 |
‑2.5 |
36 |
54.8 |
‑3.2 |
11 |
4.18 |
160% |
1.39 |
287 |
0 |
| Houston |
62.0 |
‑4.5 |
76 |
45.0 |
+0.7 |
32 |
53.5 |
‑1.9 |
14 |
5.58 |
187% |
1.60 |
328 |
1 |
| Lubbock |
53.9 |
‑3.9 |
78 |
29.6 |
+0.7 |
12 |
41.7 |
‑1.6 |
8 |
1.88 |
265% |
0.77 |
670 |
0 |
| Midland |
56.2 |
‑6.8 |
79 |
33.9 |
‑0.2 |
16 |
45.1 |
‑3.5 |
8 |
0.84 |
145% |
0.32 |
570 |
0 |
| Port Arthur |
61.4 |
‑3.9 |
76 |
44.4 |
‑1.5 |
33 |
52.9 |
‑2.7 |
13 |
6.46 |
193% |
3.17 |
346 |
2 |
| San Angelo |
58.4 |
‑5.1 |
79 |
35.9 |
‑0.1 |
22 |
47.2 |
‑2.5 |
8 |
1.72 |
146% |
0.77 |
511 |
1 |
| San Antonio |
63.3 |
‑3.8 |
79 |
42.0 |
‑0.4 |
29 |
52.6 |
‑2.1 |
10 |
1.73 |
99% |
0.77 |
356 |
2 |
| Victoria |
65.1 |
‑1.5 |
79 |
44.2 |
‑2.5 |
31 |
54.7 |
‑2.0 |
12 |
3.20 |
157% |
1.17 |
303 |
10 |
| Waco |
56.3 |
‑6.0 |
72 |
38.0 |
‑1.3 |
26 |
47.1 |
‑3.7 |
11 |
5.23 |
215% |
2.42 |
511 |
0 |
| Wichita Falls |
53.1 |
‑5.0 |
79 |
31.9 |
‑1.5 |
18 |
42.5 |
‑3.2 |
11 |
3.12 |
197% |
1.08 |
646 |
0 |
| Shreveport, LA |
55.5 |
‑6.5 |
75 |
37.9 |
‑2.4 |
26 |
46.7 |
‑4.5 |
16 |
7.91 |
188% |
1.50 |
524 |
0 |
*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.
|
Monthly Extremes
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| JASPER |
JASPER |
12.33 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| JASPER |
JASPER |
4.16 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
33.9 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| BROWNSVILLE INTL AP |
CAMERON |
62.2 |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
62.2 |
| BROWNSVILLE |
CAMERON |
62.2 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| PAMPA 2 |
GRAY |
49.2 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
74.0 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
89 |
| SANTA ROSA 3 WNW |
HIDALGO |
89 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| FRIONA |
PARMER |
18 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
16.0 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| PORT ISABEL |
CAMERON |
53.9 |
| SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
53.9 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MC COOK |
HIDALGO |
67 |
| WESLACO |
HIDALGO |
67 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DALHART MUNI AP |
DALLAM |
5 |
| BUSHLAND 1 WSW |
POTTER |
5 |
| DALHART 6 SW |
HARTLEY |
5 |
| STRATFORD |
SHERMAN |
5 |
New Monthly Records
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2001) |
26 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ABERNATHY |
HALE |
2.63 |
2.29 (1950) |
58 |
| CANDELARIA |
PRESIDIO |
1.58 |
1.37 (1989) |
62 |
| CONROE |
MONTGOMERY |
6.79 |
6.79 (1961) |
78 |
| DACUS |
MONTGOMERY |
7.84 |
6.92 (1998) |
49 |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
3.40 |
1.68 (1987) |
15 |
| FRIONA |
PARMER |
2.34 |
2.32 (1986) |
61 |
| HEMPHILL 6 NE |
SABINE |
11.08 |
9.73 (1992) |
11 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
2.87 |
1.54 (1975) |
37 |
| MULESHOE #1 |
BAILEY |
2.25 |
1.77 (1978) |
77 |
| MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
2.05 |
0.98 (1987) |
21 |
| NORTHFIELD |
MOTLEY |
3.18 |
3.15 (1998) |
56 |
| PINELAND |
SABINE |
9.55 |
8.70 (1997) |
28 |
| SAM RAYBURN DAM |
JASPER |
11.17 |
10.92 (1984) |
37 |
| SAN AUGUSTINE |
SAN AUGUSTINE |
9.61 |
9.25 (1992) |
35 |
| TOWN BLUFF DAM |
TYLER |
11.09 |
10.96 (1966) |
45 |
| VALLEY MILLS |
BOSQUE |
4.93 |
4.39 (1993) |
12 |
| WILDWOOD |
TYLER |
9.33 |
8.92 (1997) |
12 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| STEPHENVILLE CLARK FLD |
ERATH |
2.80 |
2.48 (1997) |
64 |
| COTULLA LA SALLE CO AP |
LA SALLE |
3.52 |
2.94 (1991) |
86 |
| ACKER RCH |
MCMULLEN |
1.60 |
1.45 (1993) |
18 |
| CHANNING 2 |
HARTLEY |
1.05 |
0.58 (1971) |
19 |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
1.62 |
1.30 (1989) |
15 |
| FLAT |
CORYELL |
2.44 |
2.34 (1997) |
13 |
| FRIONA |
PARMER |
1.20 |
1.16 (1990) |
61 |
| LAREDO 2 |
WEBB |
2.25 |
1.58 (1982) |
40 |
| LITTLEFIELD |
LAMB |
0.94 |
0.91 (1990) |
37 |
| MORGAN MILL |
ERATH |
3.36 |
2.77 (1986) |
47 |
| MULESHOE NWR |
BAILEY |
1.25 |
0.59 (1989) |
21 |
| SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
1.00 |
0.75 (2001) |
10 |
| STEPHENVILLE 1 N |
ERATH |
2.80 |
2.48 (1997) |
64 |
| VALLEY MILLS |
BOSQUE |
3.03 |
1.90 (2003) |
12 |
| WILDWOOD |
TYLER |
2.90 |
2.74 (1997) |
12 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ARLINGTON SIX FLAGS |
TARRANT |
44.5 |
45.2 (2002) |
13 |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
47.2 |
50.7 (2002) |
18 |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
42.3 |
42.8 (1998) |
18 |
| FT WORTH WSFO |
TARRANT |
45.2 |
45.5 (2003) |
10 |
| LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
43.5 |
43.9 (2003) |
10 |
| LAKE PALO PINTO |
PALO PINTO |
43.6 |
44.4 (2002) |
10 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
47.2 |
50.7 (2002) |
18 |
| TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
45.1 |
45.1 (1985) |
23 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ARLINGTON SIX FLAGS |
TARRANT |
54.0 |
54.4 (2003) |
13 |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
55.5 |
56.0 (1993) |
13 |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
56.4 |
58.8 (1989) |
18 |
| FT WORTH WSFO |
TARRANT |
54.3 |
54.6 (2003) |
10 |
| LAKE PALO PINTO |
PALO PINTO |
54.9 |
56.4 (2003) |
10 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
56.4 |
58.8 (1989) |
18 |
| TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
60.4 |
62.1 (1998) |
23 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| EL PASO 32 ENE |
HUDSPETH |
26 |
32 (1997) |
18 |
| PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
24 |
27 (2002) |
14 |
| TORNILLO 2 SSE |
EL PASO |
39 |
40 (1985) |
23 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
38.0 |
39.2 (2002) |
18 |
| ELGIN |
BASTROP |
35.0 |
35.2 (1978) |
41 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
38.0 |
39.2 (2002) |
18 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
20 |
20 (2002) |
24 |
| STUDY BUTTE |
BREWSTER |
20 |
21 (2003) |
10 |
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. |
