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Texas Climate Report: December 2017

Unlike November, December temperatures were more seasonal throughout Texas. Far West Texas and a small part of the upper Panhandle saw temperatures between two and three degrees above normal. Most of the Low Rolling Plains and Edwards Plateau observed near normal temperatures, and South Texas saw temperatures between one and two degrees below normal. Along with the warmer temperatures, the majority of the Panhandle also received less than five percent of normal precipitation. Several stations in the Panhandle recorded zero or near zero inches of rain for the month of December. North Central Texas saw precipitation between 125 percent and 150 percent of normal, and South Texas received between 200 percent and 300 percent of normal precipitation.

Over the past month, the top one meter soil moistures were between 50 mm and 75 mm below normal in parts of Northeast Texas. In the upper Panhandle, the Upper Coast, and South Texas, top one meter soil moistures were as much as 25 mm to 50 mm above normal. Monthly averaged streamflow was normal (25th to 75th percentile) in East Texas. Streamflow was below normal (10th to 24th percentile) and much below normal (less than the 10th percentile) in the Low Rolling Plains, North Central Texas, and Edwards Plateau. Reservoirs in the state were more than 80 percent full at the end of December.

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) changed drastically over the month of December. At the beginning of the month, KBDI values in Central and East Texas were as high as 600 to 700 hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion. After several cold fronts and rain showers moved through the state during the month, KBDI values in parts of Northeast and  Central Texas dropped to less than 200 hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion.

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 56.0 ‑0.9 78 33.4 ‑0.3 16 44.7 ‑0.6 3 1.05 85% 0.90 626 1
Amarillo 53.7 +4.0 77 23.6 ‑0.4 8 38.7 +1.8 0 0.00 0% 0.00 809 0
Austin 62.3 ‑0.4 85 42.5 +0.2 27 52.4 ‑0.1 7 4.31 180% 1.64 397 14
Brownsville 72.1 +0.3 87 52.9 +0.2 34 62.5 +0.3 10 1.15 100% 0.30 176 107
College Station 61.5 ‑0.8 81 41.9 ‑0.3 30 51.7 ‑0.5 11 3.50 108% 1.06 418 13
Corpus Christi 65.7 ‑2.7 84 47.5 ‑1.1 32 56.6 ‑1.9 14 4.38 239% 2.09 289 38
Dallas‑Fort Worth 59.6 +2.5 84 39.9 +2.8 22 49.7 +2.6 6 4.56 179% 2.95 476 12
Del Rio 61.9 ‑2.1 79 41.8 +1.0 30 51.8 ‑0.6 7 1.74 268% 1.11 409 10
El Paso 61.0 +3.9 74 36.0 +3.5 24 48.5 +3.7 4 0.68 87% 0.32 504 0
Galveston 64.2 +0.3 77 50.5 ‑0.2 34 57.3 0.0 18 7.14 203% 3.41 255 26
Houston 63.4 ‑0.9 81 44.0 ‑0.6 29 53.7 ‑0.7 13 3.72 99% 0.82 364 19
Lubbock 56.9 +2.8 76 27.0 ‑0.1 10 42.0 +1.4 0 0.00 0% 0.00 706 0
Midland 59.3 +1.2 79 32.9 +2.1 19 46.1 +1.7 4 0.39 65% 0.34 577 1
Port Arthur 63.3 ‑0.4 80 43.8 ‑1.0 30 53.5 ‑0.8 15 5.61 106% 2.21 367 18
San Angelo 60.1 +0.2 81 33.9 +0.3 19 47.0 +0.3 7 1.13 133% 0.56 554 3
San Antonio 62.7 ‑1.3 83 43.0 +1.3 28 52.9 0.0 6 4.04 212% 1.06 385 18
Victoria 65.2 ‑0.9 85 44.1 ‑0.2 32 54.7 ‑0.5 12 2.04 88% 0.65 334 21
Waco 59.5 +0.5 83 36.8 ‑0.7 20 48.1 ‑0.2 8 1.78 65% 0.66 524 9
Wichita Falls 54.4 ‑0.3 81 32.7 +1.9 14 43.5 +0.7 3 0.97 60% 0.72 660 1
Shreveport, LA 58.8 +0.3 80 38.1 +0.4 23 48.5 +0.4 8 4.12 86% 2.15 508 3
*Dep.: Departure of the monthly average temperature from the 1981-2010 monthly normal, which is provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
*Perc. Norm.: Monthly precipitation total divided by 1981-2010 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.
dec 2017 average temperatures
dec 2017 average precipitation

Monthly Extremes

Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value
AMARILLO INTL AP POTTER 0.00
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 0.00
DALHART MUNI AP DALLAM 0.00
FLOMOT 2E MOTLEY 0.00
FLOYDADA FLOYD 0.00
FRIONA PARMER 0.00
GRUVER HANSFORD 0.00
HART CASTRO 0.00
HARTLEY HARTLEY 0.00
HIGGINS 1 N LIPSCOMB 0.00
LEVELLAND HOCKLEY 0.00
LITTLEFIELD LAMB 0.00
LUBBOCK INTL AP LUBBOCK 0.00
MORTON COCHRAN 0.00
MULESHOE #1 BAILEY 0.00
OLTON LAMB 0.00
PLAINS YOAKUM 0.00
PLAINVIEW WATER PRODUCTION HALE 0.00
POST GARZA 0.00
SANFORD DAM HUTCHINSON 0.00
STRATFORD SHERMAN 0.00
TULIA SWISHER 0.00
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value
DIANA 2 W UPSHUR 10.87
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours (inches)
Station County Value
DIANA 2 W UPSHUR 6.82
Lowest Average Daily Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 36.0
STRATFORD SHERMAN 36.0
Highest Average Daily Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE INTL AP CAMERON 62.5
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
STRATFORD SHERMAN 51.5
Highest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE INTL AP CAMERON 72.1
Highest Maximum Temperature  (°F)
Station County Value
EDINBURG 17 NNE HIDALGO 89
MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP HIDALGO 89
Lowest Maximum Temperature  (°F)
Station County Value
GRUVER HANSFORD 15
Lowest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 16.6
Highest Average Daily Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE INTL AP CAMERON 52.9
Highest Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BROWNSVILLE INTL AP CAMERON 73
HARLINGEN RIO GRANDE AP CAMERON 73
PORT ISABEL CAMERON AP CAMERON 73
Lowest Minimum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 4

New Monthly Records

Least Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
AMARILLO INTL AP POTTER 0.00 0.00 (1976) 77
BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP HUTCHINSON 0.02 0.04 (2003) 18
BOYS RANCH OLDHAM 0.00 0.00 (1996) 38
BUSHLAND 1 WSW POTTER 0.01 0.01 (1948) 15
DALHART MUNI AP DALLAM 0.00 0.00 (1976) 67
FLOMOT 2E MOTLEY 0.00 0.00 (2010) 11
FLOYDADA FLOYD 0.00 0.00 (2010) 63
FRIONA PARMER 0.00 0.00 (1981) 78
GRUVER HANSFORD 0.00 0.00 (1985) 73
HART CASTRO 0.00 0.00 (2010) 56
HARTLEY HARTLEY 0.00 0.05 (2005) 13
HIGGINS 1 N LIPSCOMB 0.00 0.00 (2001) 63
LEVELLAND HOCKLEY 0.00 0.00 (2003) 76
LITTLEFIELD LAMB 0.00 0.00 (2010) 44
LUBBOCK INTL AP LUBBOCK 0.00 0.00 (2010) 71
MORTON COCHRAN 0.00 0.00 (2010) 67
MULESHOE #1 BAILEY 0.00 0.00 (2003) 91
OLTON LAMB 0.00 0.00 (1977) 53
PLAINS YOAKUM 0.00 0.00 (2010) 71
PLAINVIEW WATER PRODUCTION HALE 0.00 0.00 (2008) 18
POST GARZA 0.00 0.00 (2008) 97
SANFORD DAM HUTCHINSON 0.00 0.00 (2003) 23
STRATFORD SHERMAN 0.00 0.00 (2014) 81
TULIA SWISHER 0.00 0.00 (2003) 69
Greatest Precipitation Overall for the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
CORPUS CHRISTI NWS NUECES 4.31 4.19 (2009) 14
C C BOTANICAL GARDENS NUECES 4.89 3.32 (2009) 13
DEL RIO 2 NW VAL VERDE 1.84 1.29 (2011) 18
DRYDEN TERRELL CO AP TERRELL 1.46 0.57 (2016) 15
FORT STOCKTON 38SE PECOS 0.90 0.86 (2015) 11
Greatest Precipitation in 24 Hours Ever in the Month (inches)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
ARLINGTON MUNI AP TARRANT 2.63 2.55 (2011) 19
AUSTIN GREAT HILLS TRAVIS 1.61 1.60 (2015) 11
CORPUS CHRISTI NWS NUECES 2.38 0.94 (2016) 14
C C BOTANICAL GARDENS NUECES 1.83 1.71 (2009) 13
DEL RIO 2 NW VAL VERDE 1.18 0.47 (2011) 18
DRYDEN TERRELL CO AP TERRELL 0.74 0.45 (2015) 15
FORT STOCKTON 38SE PECOS 0.71 0.70 (2006) 11
Lowest Average Daily Maximum Temperature (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
C C BOTANICAL GARDENS NUECES 64.4 64.6 (2013) 13
Highest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
BONITA 4 NW MONTAGUE 84 83 (2010) 15
BORGER HUTCHINSON CO AP HUTCHINSON 79 79 (2010) 19
HARTLEY HARTLEY 75 73 (2010) 13
OZONA 22SE CROCKETT 85 85 (2005) 10
SANFORD DAM HUTCHINSON 82 80 (1996) 24
SAN ANTONIO 8 NNE BEXAR 84 83 (2013) 18
Lowest Maximum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
KENT 8 SE JEFF DAVIS 23 24 (2000) 22
Highest Minimum Temperature Ever in the Month (°F)
Station County Value Previous Record Yrs. Data
ELDORADO SCHLEICHER 58 58 (2012) 13

Climatic Averages for January

  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 56.8 90 (1911) 33.0 ‑9 (1947) 1.02 4.35 (1968) 2.84 (2010) 0.0 14.9 4.7 624 1
Amarillo 50.6 83 (1927) 23.4 ‑11 (1984) 0.72 3.17 (2017) 1.74 (1968) 0.0 26.8 3.9 868 0
Austin 61.5 90 (1971) 41.5 ‑2 (1949) 2.22 9.21 (1991) 4.41 (1991) 0.0 4.4 7.4 428 9
Brownsville 70.6 95 (2017) 51.6 18 (1881) 1.27 5.11 (1945) 3.00 (1988) 0.0 0.3 7.3 180 59
College Station 61.0 90 (1999) 41.2 ‑3 (1949) 3.24 15.60 (1991) 5.63 (1991) 0.0 4.9 8.4 442 11
Corpus Christi 66.9 92 (2017) 47.2 14 (1962) 1.54 10.78 (1958) 6.38 (1958) 0.0 1.5 7.1 276 30
Dallas‑Fort Worth 56.4 93 (1911) 35.5 ‑2 (1949) 2.13 9.07 (1932) 4.27 (2012) 0.0 11.0 6.6 593 2
Del Rio 63.8 92 (1911) 40.6 12 (1918) 0.72 4.12 (1931) 1.91 (1994) 0.0 4.1 4.4 399 3
El Paso 57.7 80 (1970) 32.5 ‑8 (1962) 0.40 1.84 (1949) 1.28 (1896) 0.0 14.5 3.8 617 0
Galveston 61.8 79 (2017) 48.6 11 (1886) 4.20 10.75 (1991) 5.38 (1923) 0.0 0.7 9.1 309 5
Houston 62.9 87 (1902) 43.2 5 (1930) 3.38 13.11 (1891) 5.89 (1891) 0.0 3.7 9.6 385 15
Lubbock 54.1 87 (1914) 26.4 ‑16 (1963) 0.65 4.05 (1949) 1.96 (1939) 0.0 24.4 3.7 767 0
Midland 57.4 84 (1974) 30.3 ‑8 (1962) 0.56 4.99 (1939) 2.56 (1939) 0.0 18.3 3.6 656 0
Port Arthur 62.1 84 (1909) 43.2 11 (1930) 5.26 14.87 (1991) 6.94 (1998) 0.0 3.6 9.5 393 11
San Angelo 59.5 91 (1911) 33.3 1 (1947) 0.93 3.65 (1961) 2.49 (1961) 0.0 14.5 4.6 577 1
San Antonio 62.9 89 (1971) 40.7 0 (1949) 1.76 8.52 (1968) 3.18 (1968) 0.0 5.3 7.0 416 7
Victoria 64.7 88 (1971) 43.1 12 (1949) 2.52 7.76 (1991) 4.70 (1991) 0.0 3.6 8.4 358 14
Waco 58.2 90 (1943) 36.1 ‑5 (1949) 2.12 6.56 (1932) 4.79 (1998) 0.0 11.3 7.1 556 3
Wichita Falls 54.2 87 (1969) 29.8 ‑12 (1947) 1.14 4.48 (1968) 2.25 (1919) 0.0 18.9 4.8 713 1
Shreveport, LA 57.3 85 (1950) 36.2 ‑2 (1930) 4.20 12.96 (1999) 7.52 (1885) 0.0 11.2 9.0 570 4
Climatic averages are based on 1981-2010 monthly normals, which are provided by the National Climatic Data Center.
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