Texas Climate Report: September 2006
With cooler temperatures and much needed rainfall, September 2006 provided some much needed drought relief to many areas across the state. The statewide mean temperature for the month was 0.8°F below normal and 9 stations reported above average precipitation totals. However, not all was well, as Central Texas, including Waco, Austin, and College Station, reported below average precipitation totals.
Temperatures across the state were mild compared to most Septembers. Amarillo reported the coldest mean temperature with 64.3°F, which was 4.8°F below normal. Other stations including El Paso, Midland, Abilene, and Lubbock, all reported mean temperatures at least 2°F below normal. Temperatures on the east side of the state were warmer than the west, but were just about on average, with a few stations above average. Waco reported the largest departure from normal with a mean temperature of 79.2°F, which was 0.6°F above normal. Waco also reported the highest average maximum temperature for the month with 92.4°F. Waco reported the highest absolute maximum temperature for the entire state with 103°F on the 1st. In fact, the 1st proved to be the warmest day of the month with many stations reporting their absolute maximum temperature values on that day. A front then moved through the state and resulted in much cooler temperatures. Austin set record lows on the 7th and 8th, and Amarillo, Abilene, and Midland set records for the lowest maximum temperature on the 4th and 5th.
Precipitation provided relief for many areas while leaving others dry. The Dallas/Fort Worth area received above average precipitation for the first time since April. During this period from April to August, the Dallas/Fort Worth area averaged only 43% of the normal rainfall. However, during this month the area received 107% of their normal rainfall. The same can be said about Wichita Falls. During the period from April to August, this area average 39% of their normal rainfall totals, but reported 112% this month. El Paso is continuing to see very high rainfall totals, with 4.99" reported this month, over three times the normal amount. However, some areas did not see the above average rainfall totals. Most of Central and East Central Texas reported below average rainfall totals. Waco reported only 43% of its normal rainfall, and Austin only reported 60% of its normal. While Galveston was above average Houston, Port Arthur, and Victoria all reported below average rainfall totals. However, San Antonio, an area that has been greatly affected by the current drought reported an above average rainfall total. This is the first month of 2006 where San Antonio has reported above average precipitation. For the 8-month period of January through August, the average percent of normal was only 46%. With an El Nino forecast, precipitation is expected to increase across the state which will hopefully bring some relief to the many areas across the state still affected by the drought.
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 |
84.4 |
‑2.3 |
94 |
62.0 |
‑2.4 |
48 |
73.2 |
‑2.3 |
4 |
3.17 |
109% |
1.45 |
4 |
257 |
Amarillo |
75.8 |
‑6.0 |
88 |
52.8 |
‑3.5 |
41 |
64.3 |
‑4.8 |
7 |
1.10 |
59% |
0.63 |
62 |
49 |
Austin |
91.7 |
+1.6 |
101 |
68.7 |
‑0.1 |
57 |
80.2 |
+0.7 |
8 |
3.00 |
103% |
1.19 |
0 |
463 |
Brownsville |
91.0 |
+1.6 |
97 |
73.7 |
+1.1 |
63 |
82.3 |
+1.3 |
10 |
3.67 |
69% |
1.83 |
0 |
529 |
College Station |
90.4 |
‑0.5 |
99 |
68.6 |
+0.1 |
57 |
79.5 |
‑0.2 |
6 |
2.69 |
69% |
2.26 |
0 |
441 |
Corpus Christi |
89.2 |
‑0.7 |
98 |
72.8 |
+1.2 |
65 |
81.0 |
+0.2 |
8 |
7.11 |
141% |
2.67 |
0 |
491 |
Dallas‑Fort Worth |
88.6 |
+0.9 |
100 |
66.6 |
‑0.6 |
53 |
77.6 |
+0.1 |
4 |
2.60 |
107% |
1.13 |
0 |
386 |
Del Rio |
90.2 |
‑0.4 |
99 |
69.8 |
+0.4 |
61 |
80.0 |
|
5 |
2.38 |
116% |
1.24 |
0 |
457 |
El Paso |
82.2 |
‑4.9 |
90 |
60.8 |
‑2.9 |
52 |
71.5 |
‑3.9 |
10 |
4.99 |
310% |
1.60 |
0 |
201 |
Galveston |
87.2 |
+0.7 |
91 |
75.7 |
+0.1 |
67 |
81.5 |
+0.4 |
9 |
6.40 |
111% |
3.38 |
0 |
500 |
Houston |
89.8 |
+0.5 |
96 |
69.0 |
+0.6 |
57 |
79.4 |
+0.5 |
9 |
3.22 |
74% |
1.41 |
0 |
441 |
Lubbock |
80.0 |
‑3.4 |
93 |
57.2 |
‑1.2 |
45 |
68.6 |
‑2.3 |
9 |
4.87 |
189% |
2.41 |
22 |
137 |
Midland |
82.4 |
‑3.7 |
92 |
60.5 |
‑1.1 |
49 |
71.4 |
‑2.5 |
5 |
1.23 |
53% |
0.92 |
5 |
205 |
Port Arthur |
88.1 |
+0.1 |
93 |
68.9 |
‑0.5 |
56 |
78.5 |
‑0.2 |
10 |
5.61 |
92% |
1.80 |
0 |
412 |
San Angelo |
85.6 |
‑1.0 |
96 |
62.4 |
‑0.6 |
50 |
74.0 |
‑0.8 |
4 |
2.60 |
88% |
1.78 |
2 |
280 |
San Antonio |
90.6 |
+0.6 |
100 |
68.8 |
|
57 |
79.7 |
+0.3 |
8 |
4.11 |
137% |
1.90 |
0 |
447 |
Victoria |
89.9 |
|
97 |
68.4 |
‑1.9 |
58 |
79.2 |
‑0.9 |
10 |
3.94 |
79% |
1.67 |
0 |
434 |
Waco |
92.3 |
+2.2 |
103 |
66.0 |
‑1.0 |
51 |
79.2 |
+0.6 |
6 |
1.24 |
43% |
0.93 |
0 |
433 |
Wichita Falls |
86.6 |
‑0.9 |
98 |
61.5 |
‑2.2 |
48 |
74.0 |
‑1.6 |
6 |
3.56 |
112% |
1.22 |
1 |
278 |
Shreveport, LA |
89.7 |
+2.1 |
98 |
64.5 |
‑1.9 |
50 |
77.1 |
+0.1 |
5 |
2.97 |
93% |
2.12 |
0 |
371 |
*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 |
BOQUILLAS RS |
BREWSTER |
0.15 |
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
12.86 |
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
WELDER W'LIFE FOUND |
SAN PATRICIO |
7.87 |
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
HARTLEY |
HARTLEY |
63.0 |
MT LOCKE |
JEFF DAVIS |
63.0 |
Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
84.1 |
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
73.1 |
Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
PRESIDIO |
PRESIDIO |
96.3 |
Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
GREENVILLE KGVL RADIO |
HUNT |
109 |
Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
BUSHLAND 1 WSW |
POTTER |
55 |
PANHANDLE |
CARSON |
55 |
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
DELL CITY 5 SSW |
HUDSPETH |
49.3 |
Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
78.5 |
Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
84 |
Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
MULESHOE 19 S |
BAILEY |
36 |
LIPSCOMB |
LIPSCOMB |
36 |
New Monthly Records
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
11.21 |
10.89 (2003) |
43 |
DELL CITY 5 SSW |
HUDSPETH |
5.13 |
4.90 (2004) |
27 |
EL INDIO |
MAVERICK |
7.53 |
6.79 (1996) |
28 |
LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
12.86 |
7.28 (1998) |
11 |
LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
4.87 |
4.47 (1995) |
13 |
TILDEN 10 S |
MCMULLEN |
8.02 |
6.85 (2001) |
10 |
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
CROSS |
MCMULLEN |
2.82 |
2.45 (2002) |
10 |
FORSAN |
HOWARD |
4.00 |
3.20 (1988) |
58 |
LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
4.27 |
2.30 (2002) |
11 |
LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
1.71 |
1.45 (1996) |
13 |
VANDERPOOL 10 N |
BANDERA |
3.11 |
2.87 (2002) |
11 |
VANDERPOOL 4N |
BANDERA |
4.34 |
3.32 (1995) |
12 |
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
BRAVO |
HARTLEY |
63.4 |
64.7 (1996) |
33 |
CHANNING 2 |
HARTLEY |
63.7 |
64.9 (1996) |
20 |
COPPER BREAKS SP |
HARDEMAN |
71.3 |
71.4 (1996) |
18 |
DELL CITY 5 SSW |
HUDSPETH |
67.1 |
69.1 (1991) |
27 |
LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
70.5 |
71.9 (2003) |
13 |
LAMESA 1 SSE |
DAWSON |
67.8 |
67.8 (1974) |
74 |
PERRYTON |
OCHILTREE |
64.1 |
64.5 (1996) |
38 |
SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
68.4 |
68.5 (2003) |
12 |
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
BOYS RANCH |
OLDHAM |
78.5 |
79.2 (1991) |
25 |
CARTA VALLEY |
EDWARDS |
81.7 |
83.1 (1974) |
38 |
CHANNING 2 |
HARTLEY |
76.0 |
76.6 (1996) |
20 |
CORNUDAS SVC STN |
HUDSPETH |
80.2 |
80.8 (1974) |
37 |
LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
81.5 |
83.4 (1991) |
55 |
LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
81.3 |
82.5 (2003) |
13 |
PINE SPRINGS |
CULBERSON |
73.1 |
73.4 (1991) |
18 |
Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
GREENVILLE KGVL RADIO |
HUNT |
109 |
109 (2000) |
100 |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
94 |
94 (2005) |
11 |
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
BRAVO |
HARTLEY |
49.6 |
49.9 (1989) |
33 |
CHANNING 2 |
HARTLEY |
51.5 |
52.4 (1973) |
20 |
DAINGERFIELD 9 S |
MORRIS |
62.9 |
62.9 (1968) |
47 |
DELL CITY 5 SSW |
HUDSPETH |
49.3 |
54.0 (1988) |
27 |
DEL RIO 2 NW |
VAL VERDE |
67.1 |
67.2 (2001) |
11 |
EVANT 1 SSW |
CORYELL |
60.4 |
60.7 (1981) |
39 |
GILMER 4 WNW |
UPSHUR |
57.2 |
57.9 (1968) |
62 |
LAKE ALAN HENRY |
GARZA |
59.8 |
61.4 (2003) |
13 |
MT LOCKE |
JEFF DAVIS |
51.4 |
51.4 (1975) |
62 |
SANFORD DAM |
HUTCHINSON |
56.4 |
56.8 (2003) |
12 |
Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
CENTER |
SHELBY |
79 |
79 (1939) |
65 |
MARSHALL |
HARRISON |
81 |
80 (1939) |
80 |
LONGVIEW 11 SE |
RUSK |
80 |
80 (1978) |
30 |
SAN ANTONIO INTL AP |
BEXAR |
80 |
80 (1980) |
122 |
ALICE INTL AP |
JIM WELLS |
80 |
78 (1950) |
10 |
HOUSTON INTERCONT AP |
HARRIS |
81 |
81 (1962) |
117 |
JUNCTION KIMBLE CO AP |
KIMBLE |
78 |
78 (2005) |
30 |
PALESTINE |
ANDERSON |
80 |
79 (2000) |
67 |
ANGLETON 2 W |
BRAZORIA |
82 |
82 (1998) |
88 |
ATHENS |
HENDERSON |
80 |
79 (1959) |
44 |
BEAUMONT CITY |
JEFFERSON |
80 |
80 (1962) |
55 |
CARTHAGE |
PANOLA |
79 |
78 (1961) |
50 |
CENTERVILLE |
LEON |
79 |
79 (2002) |
66 |
CHARLOTTE 5 NNW |
ATASCOSA |
80 |
80 (2005) |
45 |
CLEBURNE |
JOHNSON |
78 |
78 (2000) |
96 |
CLEVELAND |
LIBERTY |
77 |
76 (2002) |
41 |
CROCKETT |
HOUSTON |
79 |
77 (2000) |
68 |
DENISON DAM |
GRAYSON |
80 |
79 (1985) |
56 |
DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
81 |
77 (2002) |
20 |
GONZALES 1N |
GONZALES |
79 |
79 (2000) |
42 |
GREENVILLE KGVL RADIO |
HUNT |
80 |
80 (2000) |
101 |
HARLINGEN |
CAMERON |
81 |
81 (1996) |
81 |
HOUSTON‑PORT |
HARRIS |
82 |
82 (2003) |
15 |
HOUSTON NWSO |
GALVESTON |
80 |
80 (2000) |
17 |
JOHNSON CITY |
BLANCO |
77 |
77 (2000) |
37 |
KARNES CITY 2 N |
KARNES |
80 |
80 (1985) |
22 |
LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
81 |
80 (2005) |
10 |
LAKE FORK RSVR |
WOOD |
80 |
78 (2000) |
18 |
LAKE TAWAKONI |
RAINS |
80 |
78 (2002) |
31 |
LEXINGTON |
LEE |
79 |
79 (2005) |
42 |
LIVINGSTON 2 NNE |
POLK |
79 |
78 (1970) |
70 |
MC COOK |
HIDALGO |
81 |
81 (1996) |
60 |
MT PLEASANT |
TITUS |
81 |
79 (2000) |
57 |
MT VERNON |
FRANKLIN |
81 |
80 (2005) |
40 |
NAVARRO MILLS DAM |
NAVARRO |
79 |
77 (1985) |
42 |
ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
81 |
77 (2002) |
20 |
OZONA |
CROCKETT |
74 |
74 (2000) |
51 |
PANTHER JUNCTION |
BREWSTER |
74 |
74 (1989) |
46 |
RIO GRANDE CITY |
STARR |
80 |
80 (1996) |
75 |
RUSK |
CHEROKEE |
77 |
76 (1993) |
57 |
SAM RAYBURN DAM |
JASPER |
79 |
76 (2002) |
37 |
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND |
CAMERON |
84 |
84 (2003) |
13 |
TOWN BLUFF DAM |
TYLER |
78 |
77 (2002) |
53 |
SUGAR LAND |
FORT BEND |
80 |
80 (2002) |
86 |
TEXARKANA |
BOWIE |
79 |
77 (1980) |
34 |
WRIGHT PATMAN DAM |
CASS |
80 |
77 (1959) |
31 |
TILDEN 4 SSE |
MCMULLEN |
79 |
79 (2005) |
40 |
TYLER |
SMITH |
79 |
79 (2000) |
23 |
WACO DAM |
MCLENNAN |
79 |
79 (1989) |
34 |
WELDER W'LIFE FOUND |
SAN PATRICIO |
82 |
80 (1996) |
13 |
WILLS POINT |
VAN ZANDT |
81 |
79 (1954) |
83 |
Climatic Averages for October
|
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 |
77.6 |
103 (1979) |
54.4 |
23 (1993) |
2.90 |
10.88 (1941) |
6.08 (1981) |
2.2 |
0.3 |
6.2 |
93 |
118 |
Amarillo |
71.8 |
99 (2000) |
44.6 |
12 (1993) |
1.50 |
7.64 (1941) |
3.03 (1998) |
0.8 |
2.3 |
5.0 |
239 |
26 |
Austin |
81.4 |
100 (1938) |
59.8 |
30 (1993) |
3.97 |
12.63 (1925) |
7.51 (1998) |
4.4 |
0.0 |
7.4 |
32 |
207 |
Brownsville |
84.0 |
99 (1900) |
65.9 |
35 (1993) |
3.78 |
17.12 (1958) |
9.09 (1996) |
6.2 |
0.0 |
7.3 |
6 |
332 |
College Station |
82.0 |
102 (1938) |
59.0 |
29 (1993) |
4.22 |
18.77 (1994) |
13.39 (1994) |
3.2 |
0.1 |
7.6 |
25 |
196 |
Corpus Christi |
83.6 |
98 (1950) |
64.0 |
28 (1993) |
3.94 |
12.03 (1997) |
7.96 (1995) |
5.5 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
12 |
300 |
Dallas‑Fort Worth |
77.9 |
106 (1951) |
56.4 |
24 (1917) |
4.11 |
14.18 (1981) |
4.85 (1959) |
3.0 |
0.1 |
6.9 |
52 |
118 |
Del Rio |
81.7 |
106 (1979) |
60.5 |
28 (1993) |
2.00 |
11.69 (1930) |
7.60 (1969) |
5.1 |
0.1 |
5.7 |
24 |
217 |
El Paso |
77.9 |
96 (1994) |
51.8 |
25 (1970) |
0.81 |
5.15 (1884) |
1.84 (1883) |
2.4 |
0.5 |
4.9 |
89 |
71 |
Galveston |
79.7 |
94 (1952) |
68.4 |
39 (1993) |
3.49 |
17.78 (1871) |
14.01 (1901) |
0.1 |
0.0 |
6.8 |
6 |
286 |
Houston |
82.0 |
99 (1900) |
58.8 |
29 (1993) |
4.50 |
17.64 (1949) |
9.31 (1984) |
3.1 |
0.1 |
7.5 |
37 |
196 |
Lubbock |
74.4 |
100 (2000) |
47.0 |
18 (1993) |
1.70 |
10.80 (1983) |
5.82 (1983) |
1.2 |
1.0 |
5.1 |
163 |
46 |
Midland |
77.4 |
101 (2000) |
51.3 |
24 (1993) |
1.77 |
7.45 (1986) |
3.59 (1985) |
2.4 |
0.3 |
4.7 |
103 |
83 |
Port Arthur |
80.5 |
99 (1905) |
59.6 |
30 (1993) |
4.67 |
15.09 (1970) |
9.26 (1902) |
1.5 |
0.1 |
6.5 |
34 |
195 |
San Angelo |
77.8 |
100 (1951) |
53.0 |
26 (1997) |
2.57 |
8.68 (1981) |
5.11 (1959) |
2.7 |
0.3 |
5.6 |
84 |
112 |
San Antonio |
82.0 |
99 (1991) |
59.4 |
27 (1993) |
3.86 |
18.07 (1998) |
13.35 (1998) |
4.9 |
0.0 |
6.9 |
33 |
215 |
Victoria |
83.0 |
109 (1926) |
61.6 |
31 (1993) |
4.26 |
17.25 (1960) |
8.15 (1994) |
4.9 |
0.0 |
7.3 |
22 |
248 |
Waco |
80.4 |
101 (1989) |
56.7 |
25 (1993) |
3.67 |
10.51 (1984) |
5.72 (1974) |
4.5 |
0.1 |
6.9 |
58 |
170 |
Wichita Falls |
77.1 |
102 (2000) |
52.4 |
21 (1993) |
3.11 |
11.77 (1941) |
5.61 (1959) |
3.3 |
0.4 |
7.0 |
106 |
99 |
Shreveport, LA |
78.3 |
99 (1938) |
55.0 |
28 (1993) |
4.45 |
14.02 (1949) |
6.83 (1949) |
1.8 |
0.2 |
7.4 |
78 |
119 |
Climatic averages are based on 1971-2000 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |