Weekly Climate Summary 08/30/2021

Texas weather saw a particularly dry week for the majority of the state. In the Panhandle, Big Bend, and Prairies and Lakes regions of Texas very few observations were seen above 0.1” of precipitation. In central Texas, southwest of Austin in the Hill Country and South Texas Plains regions of the state, observations were slightly higher with precipitation averaging around 0.6-0.9”. While some areas of the Gulf Coast experienced 0.6-0.9” of precipitation, most of this region had the highest accumulation over this period with many observations within 0.9-2.1”. Jefferson County recorded the most precipitation at 2.1”.

This week saw a higher temperature departure from the normal in much of Texas compared to previous weeks in August. Directly South of Austin and trending East towards the Gulf Coast, an area of cooler than average temperatures was observed at 2 degrees cooler. The rest of the state on the other hand saw a temperature departure 2-4 degrees warmer than normal. The Panhandle experienced the greatest increase in temperature compared to the normal with temperature 6-10 degrees warmer. Moore County saw the greatest increase in temperature at 8 degrees warmer whereas Tarrant County experienced the greatest decrease in temperature at 10 degrees cooler.

The arrival of Tropical Storm Ida caused impacts as far as Texas. While the storm missed landfall in Texas, moisture and storms will continue to flow from Louisiana causing rain in Southeast Texas. Furthermore, as a result of the tropical storm, bigger waves due to the storm surge caused by Ida hit the Gulf Coast of the State.