Texas Climate Report: March 2010
March continued a string of colder than normal months across all of Texas, though precipitation was not quite as abundant as the in the first two months of 2010. The coldest temperatures relative to normal were along the Upper Texas Coast and in South Central Texas. The maximum temperature reached 87°F in San Angelo on the 14th, which was the highest reading in the continental United States for the day. However, a cold front pushed through and held temperatures in the 40s most of the following day with cloudy skies and drizzle, weather more typical of conditions this past winter. The coldest morning of the month was actually the first full day of spring on the 21st. The temperature in Amarillo dipped down to 20°F with temperatures in outlying areas dropping into the teens. However, the month ended on a warm note including several stations in West Texas reporting high temperatures in the 90s on the 31st. Childress topped out at 98°F, which was the 3rd warmest March temperature ever reported, with records dating back to 1948.
Following a relatively mundane first week of March, a strong storm system the pushed through the state. This brought hurricane force wind gusts to the El Paso area on the 8th and winds up to 60 mph in North Texas the following day. Dozens of hail reports flooded in from Northeast Texas on the 9th and 10th, but thankfully no tornadoes were reported during this bout of severe weather. After a quiet two weeks, severe storms on the 24th dropped golf ball-sized hail in Uvalde County and downed power lines in Nacogdoches County. For the month, the 2.85" of precipitation was nearly 4 times the March average, and the 1.75" of rain reported on the 15th more than doubled the normal total for the month.
The temperature at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reached 80°F for the first time since October 20th, officially ending the second-longest stretch of under-80°F high temperatures since the winter of 1918-1919. However, this was not in time to save the Metroplex from a rare early spring snow that fell on the 20th, the first day of spring. The Dallas/Fort Worth Airport picked up 1.4", but some areas to the north and east of town picked up more than half a foot of snow. In the warm sector of the storm, Victoria County reported wind gusts exceeding 60 mph and pea-sized hail. Before this storm system hit the eastern half of the state, areas of the Panhandle reported blizzard-like conditions and picked up several inches of snowfall. The late season snow left the winter of 2009-2010 as one of the snowiest on record.
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 |
67.3 |
‑1.8 |
91 |
41.8 |
‑2.0 |
28 |
54.6 |
‑1.8 |
8 |
1.76 |
125% |
0.68 |
335 |
18 |
| Amarillo |
61.6 |
‑0.6 |
87 |
33.6 |
|
20 |
47.6 |
‑0.3 |
8 |
1.61 |
142% |
0.43 |
540 |
8 |
| Austin |
70.9 |
‑1.6 |
83 |
47.1 |
‑3.8 |
36 |
59.0 |
‑2.7 |
9 |
3.32 |
155% |
1.05 |
190 |
10 |
| Brownsville |
77.6 |
‑0.4 |
89 |
54.7 |
‑4.8 |
37 |
66.2 |
‑2.6 |
3 |
0.90 |
97% |
0.57 |
48 |
91 |
| College Station |
69.5 |
‑3.1 |
82 |
47.1 |
‑3.4 |
34 |
58.3 |
‑3.3 |
8 |
2.62 |
92% |
0.89 |
210 |
9 |
| Corpus Christi |
74.4 |
‑1.4 |
86 |
52.2 |
‑4.0 |
35 |
63.3 |
‑2.7 |
5 |
1.15 |
66% |
0.51 |
94 |
52 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
66.9 |
‑1.4 |
83 |
44.6 |
‑1.8 |
32 |
55.7 |
‑1.7 |
8 |
3.57 |
117% |
1.18 |
288 |
7 |
| Del Rio |
74.7 |
‑1.3 |
92 |
47.6 |
‑4.0 |
31 |
61.2 |
‑2.6 |
7 |
1.16 |
121% |
0.65 |
147 |
37 |
| El Paso |
69.3 |
‑0.9 |
86 |
41.8 |
‑1.9 |
30 |
55.5 |
‑1.5 |
2 |
0.02 |
8% |
0.02 |
296 |
9 |
| Galveston |
66.3 |
‑3.7 |
75 |
53.1 |
‑5.1 |
38 |
59.7 |
‑4.4 |
7 |
1.41 |
51% |
0.50 |
158 |
2 |
| Houston |
70.1 |
‑3.2 |
81 |
48.0 |
‑3.3 |
35 |
59.1 |
‑3.2 |
6 |
1.88 |
56% |
0.62 |
198 |
21 |
| Lubbock |
65.9 |
‑0.3 |
92 |
36.7 |
+0.5 |
25 |
51.3 |
+0.1 |
7 |
2.85 |
375% |
1.91 |
424 |
10 |
| Midland |
70.3 |
‑0.6 |
91 |
39.0 |
‑1.8 |
26 |
54.6 |
‑1.3 |
4 |
0.59 |
140% |
0.50 |
322 |
10 |
| Port Arthur |
67.5 |
‑4.5 |
76 |
46.3 |
‑6.1 |
32 |
56.9 |
‑5.3 |
7 |
2.87 |
77% |
1.05 |
245 |
4 |
| San Angelo |
72.1 |
+1.0 |
92 |
40.7 |
‑2.6 |
27 |
56.4 |
‑0.8 |
4 |
1.17 |
118% |
0.68 |
277 |
17 |
| San Antonio |
71.6 |
‑2.7 |
83 |
47.0 |
‑2.9 |
35 |
59.3 |
‑2.8 |
9 |
2.09 |
111% |
0.59 |
178 |
10 |
| Victoria |
73.1 |
‑0.3 |
82 |
48.9 |
‑5.0 |
36 |
61.0 |
‑2.7 |
6 |
1.93 |
86% |
0.94 |
141 |
26 |
| Waco |
68.6 |
‑1.6 |
83 |
43.9 |
‑2.9 |
32 |
56.3 |
‑2.2 |
7 |
4.63 |
187% |
2.17 |
268 |
7 |
| Wichita Falls |
65.3 |
‑1.9 |
93 |
39.4 |
‑1.7 |
25 |
52.3 |
‑1.9 |
7 |
1.06 |
47% |
0.40 |
395 |
11 |
| Shreveport, LA |
67.2 |
‑2.5 |
80 |
42.1 |
‑5.1 |
27 |
54.6 |
‑3.9 |
10 |
3.20 |
77% |
0.97 |
316 |
4 |
*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 |
| PANTHER JUNCTION 2 N |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| MARFA MUNI AP |
PECOS |
0.00 |
| BLACKWELL 6NE |
NOLAN |
0.00 |
| CANDELARIA |
PRESIDIO |
0.00 |
| CASTOLON |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| EL PASO #2 |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
| FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
| LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| MARATHON 40SSE |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| MCALLEN |
HIDALGO |
0.00 |
| PANTHER JUNCTION |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| PERSIMMON GAP |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| RIO GRANDE VILLAGE |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
| VALENTINE |
JEFF DAVIS |
0.00 |
| Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DECATUR |
WISE |
6.03 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| ARANSAS WR |
ARANSAS |
2.80 |
| SLATON |
LUBBOCK |
2.80 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DOG CANYON |
CULBERSON |
41.8 |
| Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
68.4 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DOG CANYON |
CULBERSON |
54.3 |
| Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| LAREDO INTL AP |
WEBB |
80.5 |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
80.5 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| CHILDRESS MUNI AP |
CHILDRESS |
98 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| DECATUR |
WISE |
32 |
| MT LOCKE |
JEFF DAVIS |
32 |
| VEGA 2 NW |
OLDHAM |
32 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MARFA MUNI AP |
PECOS |
22.4 |
| Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
56.4 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP |
HIDALGO |
70 |
| Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
| MARFA MUNI AP |
PECOS |
9 |
New Monthly Records
| Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| HUNTSVILLE MUNI AP |
WALKER |
1.34 |
2.04 (2003) |
11 |
| CANDELARIA |
PRESIDIO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2009) |
65 |
| CASTOLON |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2006) |
33 |
| CHISOS BASIN |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2002) |
64 |
| FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
0.00 |
0.00 (2008) |
37 |
| LA TUNA 1 S |
EL PASO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2008) |
62 |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2006) |
29 |
| MCALLEN |
HIDALGO |
0.00 |
0.00 (2008) |
65 |
| NEWTON |
NEWTON |
1.05 |
1.20 (1996) |
22 |
| PANTHER JUNCTION |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (2009) |
54 |
| PERSIMMON GAP |
BREWSTER |
0.00 |
0.00 (1996) |
25 |
| VALENTINE |
JEFF DAVIS |
0.00 |
0.00 (2009) |
30 |
| Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LUBBOCK 9 N |
LUBBOCK |
1.82 |
1.72 (1929) |
52 |
| SLATON |
LUBBOCK |
2.80 |
1.94 (1970) |
57 |
| TAHOKA |
LYNN |
2.32 |
1.57 (1970) |
80 |
| Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ANGLETON BRAZORIA AP |
BRAZORIA |
58.3 |
61.1 (2003) |
11 |
| HOUSTON HOOKS MEM AP |
HARRIS |
58.0 |
60.0 (2003) |
11 |
| BRACKETTVILLE 22 N |
KINNEY |
54.3 |
57.4 (1996) |
12 |
| CASTOLON |
BREWSTER |
58.9 |
59.4 (1947) |
29 |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
54.0 |
54.1 (1996) |
23 |
| EDEN |
CONCHO |
50.6 |
50.8 (1965) |
43 |
| FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
51.0 |
51.4 (1973) |
32 |
| LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
66.2 |
66.5 (2001) |
15 |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
59.0 |
59.6 (1987) |
26 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
54.0 |
54.1 (1996) |
23 |
| REFUGIO 2 NW |
REFUGIO |
59.2 |
60.2 (1996) |
18 |
| SHEFFIELD |
PECOS |
52.1 |
53.1 (1987) |
33 |
| Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| ANGLETON BRAZORIA AP |
BRAZORIA |
69.5 |
71.2 (2003) |
11 |
| HOUSTON HOOKS MEM AP |
HARRIS |
69.8 |
70.3 (2003) |
11 |
| ABERNATHY |
HALE |
62.3 |
62.8 (1981) |
12 |
| ATLANTA |
CASS |
65.8 |
66.5 (1999) |
11 |
| DEWEYVILLE |
NEWTON |
65.4 |
65.9 (1996) |
23 |
| ORANGE 9 N |
ORANGE |
65.4 |
65.9 (1996) |
23 |
| Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP |
HUTCHINSON |
90 |
89 (2004) |
11 |
| FT STOCKTON PECOS AP |
PECOS |
97 |
94 (2006) |
11 |
| TERRELL MUNI AP |
KAUFMAN |
85 |
85 (2009) |
10 |
| ABERNATHY |
HALE |
90 |
89 (2009) |
12 |
| DENVER CITY |
YOAKUM |
90 |
90 (2006) |
17 |
| PLAINVIEW WATER PRODUCTION |
HALE |
88 |
87 (2009) |
10 |
| Lowest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| SAN SABA 7 NW |
SAN SABA |
38 |
40 (2009) |
11 |
| Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| LONGVIEW E TX RGNL AP |
GREGG |
41.7 |
43.5 (2002) |
11 |
| HARLINGEN RIO GRANDE AP |
CAMERON |
51.9 |
54.1 (2001) |
21 |
| COTULLA LA SALLE CO AP |
LA SALLE |
47.3 |
48.8 (2001) |
13 |
| HONDO MUNI AP |
MEDINA |
43.3 |
44.0 (1996) |
35 |
| ANGLETON BRAZORIA AP |
BRAZORIA |
47.1 |
51.0 (2003) |
11 |
| CONROE MONTGOMERY CO AP |
MONTGOMERY |
42.0 |
44.7 (2001) |
12 |
| HUNTSVILLE MUNI AP |
WALKER |
44.7 |
44.8 (2001) |
12 |
| HOUSTON HOOKS MEM AP |
HARRIS |
46.3 |
49.6 (2003) |
11 |
| MCKINNEY MUNI AP |
COLLIN |
40.9 |
41.8 (2001) |
11 |
| ACTON RCH |
CROCKETT |
33.2 |
35.2 (2005) |
17 |
| BRACKETTVILLE 22 N |
KINNEY |
39.3 |
43.5 (1996) |
12 |
| CALLIHAM |
MCMULLEN |
47.8 |
49.4 (2001) |
10 |
| CAMP WOOD |
REAL |
38.1 |
38.7 (1996) |
43 |
| CONCHO PARK IVIE RSVR |
CONCHO |
40.7 |
41.1 (2002) |
12 |
| DEL RIO 2 NW |
VAL VERDE |
45.7 |
46.4 (2001) |
14 |
| EDEN |
CONCHO |
36.3 |
37.1 (1965) |
45 |
| FT MCKAVETT |
MENARD |
38.6 |
38.8 (2001) |
16 |
| FT HANCOCK 8 SSE |
HUDSPETH |
31.4 |
31.8 (2008) |
33 |
| FOWLERTON |
LA SALLE |
42.9 |
44.2 (1996) |
46 |
| HUDSPETH RIVER RANCH |
VAL VERDE |
39.4 |
40.5 (1996) |
21 |
| JUNCTION 4 SSW |
KIMBLE |
34.5 |
35.2 (1915) |
74 |
| LA GRANGE |
FAYETTE |
44.5 |
44.7 (2005) |
46 |
| LA JOYA |
HIDALGO |
52.5 |
53.5 (2001) |
15 |
| LAJITAS |
BREWSTER |
39.1 |
41.1 (1987) |
26 |
| LANGTRY |
VAL VERDE |
42.1 |
42.4 (1970) |
34 |
| LEXINGTON |
LEE |
42.7 |
42.8 (1996) |
43 |
| LUFKIN 11 NW |
ANGELINA |
38.5 |
41.2 (2001) |
13 |
| PANDALE 1 N |
VAL VERDE |
38.0 |
38.3 (1969) |
38 |
| PEARSALL |
FRIO |
40.6 |
43.7 (1996) |
56 |
| PERSIMMON GAP |
BREWSTER |
38.5 |
38.5 (1987) |
27 |
| PRADE RCH |
REAL |
34.6 |
34.6 (1996) |
33 |
| RAINBOW |
SOMERVELL |
39.0 |
40.4 (2002) |
10 |
| REFUGIO 2 NW |
REFUGIO |
46.6 |
47.3 (1996) |
18 |
| SAN ANTONIO 8 NNE |
BEXAR |
44.7 |
45.3 (2001) |
13 |
| SHEFFIELD |
PECOS |
33.5 |
36.8 (1996) |
36 |
| SOMERVILLE DAM |
BURLESON |
38.6 |
40.5 (2001) |
45 |
| TERLINGUA RCH |
BREWSTER |
38.6 |
38.7 (1996) |
12 |
| Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F) |
| Station |
County |
Value |
Previous Record |
Yrs. Data |
| BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP |
HUTCHINSON |
64 |
60 (2004) |
11 |
| BORGER |
HUTCHINSON |
59 |
59 (2009) |
59 |
Climatic Averages for April
| |
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 |
77.3 |
102 (1925) |
51.8 |
25 (1973) |
1.67 |
9.80 (1890) |
4.63 (1914) |
2.5 |
0.6 |
5.1 |
113 |
94 |
| Amarillo |
70.6 |
98 (1989) |
41.7 |
13 (1920) |
1.33 |
6.45 (1997) |
2.68 (1911) |
0.7 |
4.3 |
5.4 |
291 |
18 |
| Austin |
78.9 |
99 (2006) |
57.6 |
30 (1926) |
2.51 |
19.82 (1915) |
10.00 (1915) |
1.6 |
0.0 |
7.2 |
44 |
147 |
| Brownsville |
82.3 |
102 (1984) |
65.2 |
37 (1903) |
1.96 |
10.35 (1991) |
9.37 (1991) |
3.1 |
0.0 |
4.0 |
7 |
287 |
| College Station |
78.8 |
98 (1893) |
56.9 |
28 (1973) |
3.20 |
12.50 (1957) |
5.30 (1953) |
0.7 |
0.1 |
6.9 |
40 |
127 |
| Corpus Christi |
80.7 |
102 (1984) |
62.3 |
33 (1987) |
2.05 |
9.21 (2004) |
7.19 (1956) |
1.9 |
0.0 |
5.2 |
19 |
229 |
| Dallas‑Fort Worth |
75.9 |
101 (2006) |
54.0 |
29 (1989) |
3.20 |
17.64 (1922) |
8.81 (1922) |
0.9 |
0.2 |
7.2 |
74 |
72 |
| Del Rio |
82.7 |
106 (1984) |
58.5 |
33 (1987) |
1.71 |
7.51 (1981) |
4.57 (1969) |
6.6 |
0.0 |
5.2 |
27 |
207 |
| El Paso |
78.1 |
98 (1989) |
51.1 |
23 (1983) |
0.23 |
2.24 (1931) |
1.08 (1966) |
2.3 |
0.9 |
1.7 |
100 |
72 |
| Galveston |
75.2 |
92 (1953) |
64.7 |
38 (1938) |
2.56 |
11.04 (1904) |
9.23 (1904) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.5 |
15 |
163 |
| Houston |
79.1 |
95 (1987) |
57.9 |
31 (1987) |
3.60 |
10.92 (1976) |
8.16 (1976) |
0.9 |
0.1 |
7.0 |
48 |
147 |
| Lubbock |
74.7 |
100 (1989) |
45.4 |
18 (1920) |
1.29 |
6.18 (1915) |
2.18 (1997) |
1.6 |
1.4 |
5.0 |
182 |
48 |
| Midland |
78.8 |
101 (1996) |
48.6 |
20 (1973) |
0.73 |
3.59 (1931) |
2.00 (1931) |
3.8 |
0.9 |
3.2 |
120 |
77 |
| Port Arthur |
77.8 |
94 (1987) |
58.6 |
32 (1987) |
3.84 |
15.30 (1973) |
10.09 (1973) |
0.3 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
41 |
140 |
| San Angelo |
79.0 |
107 (1925) |
51.0 |
23 (1926) |
1.60 |
5.10 (1977) |
3.32 (1971) |
4.7 |
0.8 |
4.6 |
93 |
107 |
| San Antonio |
80.4 |
101 (1996) |
56.9 |
31 (1987) |
2.60 |
11.64 (1915) |
6.78 (1915) |
2.2 |
0.0 |
7.3 |
42 |
161 |
| Victoria |
79.2 |
100 (1920) |
60.1 |
33 (1987) |
2.97 |
11.70 (1997) |
9.87 (1991) |
0.8 |
0.0 |
6.4 |
28 |
181 |
| Waco |
77.6 |
101 (1963) |
54.2 |
26 (2009) |
2.99 |
13.37 (1957) |
5.09 (1957) |
1.4 |
0.2 |
6.7 |
77 |
111 |
| Wichita Falls |
75.5 |
102 (2006) |
49.3 |
24 (1975) |
2.62 |
8.50 (1957) |
5.33 (2009) |
1.9 |
0.7 |
6.5 |
140 |
66 |
| Shreveport, LA |
76.6 |
96 (1887) |
53.8 |
31 (1989) |
4.42 |
21.84 (1991) |
10.44 (1991) |
0.1 |
0.2 |
8.2 |
89 |
87 |
| Climatic averages are based on 1971-2000 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center. |
