PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
700 PM CST THU JAN 1 2004

...WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2003...

RAINFALL FOR THE YEAR VARIED FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS 
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...TO WELL BELOW 
NORMAL IN THE BIG COUNTRY. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS...THE PLACEMENT OF 
MOISTURE AND TRACK OF STORM SYSTEMS RESULTED IN LITTLE OR NO RAIN 
FOR THE BIG COUNTRY...EVEN WHEN LOCATIONS FARTHER TO THE SOUTH 
RECEIVED RAIN. 

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 
2003 WAS 64.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 0.3 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 64.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 
19.05 INCHES. THIS WAS 4.73 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL ANNUAL 
PRECIPITATION OF 23.78 INCHES. TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR AT 
ABILENE WAS 1.1 INCHES. THIS WAS 3.8 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL YEARLY 
SNOWFALL OF 4.9 INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 
2003 WAS 65.6 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.1 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 64.5 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE 
YEAR WAS 19.76 INCHES. THIS WAS 1.15 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL ANNUAL 
PRECIPITATION OF 20.91 INCHES. TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR AT SAN 
ANGELO WAS JUST A TRACE. THIS WAS 2.9 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL YEARLY 
SNOWFALL OF 2.9 INCHES.

PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY RECEIVED ONLY 10 TO 15 INCHES OF RAINFALL 
FOR THE YEAR. 

THE FIRST WIDESPREAD RAINFALL EVENT OF THE YEAR DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL 
FEBRUARY 20TH AND 21ST...WHEN AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 
1 TO 2 INCHES OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...BUT SOME 
LOCATIONS RECEIVED 2.5 TO 5 INCHES.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER EVENT OF THE YEAR OCCURRED ON 
FEBRUARY 24TH. AFTER AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT HAD MOVED THROUGH THE AREA 
ON THE 23RD...TEMPERATURES CONTINUED TO SLOWLY FALL INTO THE UPPER 
TEENS TO LOWER 20S ON THE 24TH. BRISK NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH 
PRODUCED WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. AS AN UPPER LEVEL 
DISTURBANCE MOVED INTO TEXAS FROM THE WEST...AREAS OF MIXED 
PRECIPITATION OCCURRED. SNOW AND SLEET SHOWERS FELL OVER THE BIG 
COUNTRY...AND SOME WERE ACCOMPANIED BY LIGHTNING AND THUNDER. ONE TO 
TWO INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY... 
INCLUDING THE ABILENE AREA. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH...A MIX OF FREEZING 
RAIN...FREEZING DRIZZLE...SLEET AND LIGHT SNOW OCCURRED. SLEET 
ACCUMULATED TO AROUND ONE-HALF INCH IN THE HEARTLAND. 

THIS EVENT PRODUCED SOME OF THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE YEAR. 
LOW TEMPERATURES ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 25TH RANGED FROM 15 TO 
20 DEGREES.

LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE 15 TO 20 DEGREE RANGE ALSO OCCURRED ON A FEW 
OTHER OCCASIONS EARLY AND LATE IN THE YEAR...WHEN HIGH PRESSURE 
SETTLED OVER THE REGION AND RESULTED IN CLEAR SKIES...LIGHT WINDS 
AND STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING.

SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EPISODES OCCURRED IN WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS IN 2003.

SUPERCELL STORMS SPAWNED TORNADOES AND PRODUCED BASEBALL TO SOFTBALL 
SIZE HAIL ACROSS THE NORTHERN BIG COUNTRY (MAINLY HASKELL AND 
THROCKMORTON COUNTIES) ON APRIL 5TH AND MAY 3RD. THE TORNADIC STORM 
ON APRIL 5TH PRODUCED AN 82 MPH WIND GUST IN STAMFORD...AND SOFTBALL 
SIZE HAIL IN WOODSON WHICH CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE AND RESULTED 
IN A FEW INJURIES. A MULTIPLE VORTEX TORNADO ON MAY 3RD OCCURRED 8 
MILES SOUTH OF HASKELL. THE TORNADOES STRUCK RURAL AREAS.

OTHER TORNADIC STORMS AFFECTED LOCATIONS FARTHER SOUTH IN THE BIG 
COUNTRY ON MAY 7TH AND MAY 15TH. THE TORNADO ON MAY 7TH DESTROYED AN 
OLD SCHOOL BUILDING AND DOWNED POWER LINES 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
BAIRD. THIS TORNADIC STORM PRODUCED SOFTBALL SIZE HAIL A COUPLE OF 
MILES NORTH OF PUTNAM. THE TORNADO ON MAY 15TH TRACKED EASTWARD FROM 
7 MILES NORTH OF BAIRD TO NEAR MORAN. THIS TORNADO AFFECTED RURAL 
AREAS BUT CAUSED SOME DAMAGE ALONG ITS PATH.

A WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON APRIL 
23RD...ASSOCIATED WITH A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH MOVED 
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. FROM THIS EVENT A TOTAL OF 23 SEVERE 
WEATHER REPORTS WERE RECEIVED. A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN (NEAR 
MORAN) AND LARGE HAIL WERE AMONG THE REPORTS.

A WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ALSO OCCURRED ON APRIL 29TH. FROM 
THIS EVENT A TOTAL OF 26 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE RECEIVED. A 
TORNADO (NEAR BLACKWELL)...LARGE HAIL...AND FLASH FLOODING NEAR 
HATCHELL (RUNNELS COUNTY) WERE AMONG THE REPORTS.

OTHER SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS ON MAY 1ST AND 2ND BROUGHT BASEBALL 
SIZE HAIL TO THE HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY. 

THE FIRST HALF OF JUNE WAS DOMINATED BY A VERY ACTIVE WEATHER 
PATTERN IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES MOVED 
EASTWARD AND SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION...BRINGING SIGNIFICANT 
SEVERE WEATHER EPISODES...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING. A 
TOTAL OF 140 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS AND 59 FLASH FLOODING REPORTS 
WERE RECEIVED FROM THESE EVENTS. AN EVENT ON JUNE 1ST BROUGHT HAIL 
TO TENNIS BALL SIZE AND WINDS OF 70 MPH TO GRAPE CREEK AND THE 
NORTHEAST PART OF SAN ANGELO. MOST HOMES AND BUILDINGS INCLUDING 
VEHICLES RECEIVED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.

THE USUAL HOT AND DRY SUMMER WEATHER PATTERN IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS 
WAS INTERRUPTED IN THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PARTS OF JULY...AND FROM 
LATE AUGUST INTO SEPTEMBER. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE 
WHICH USUALLY DOMINATES THE PATTERN WAS SITUATED MOSTLY TO THE 
NORTHWEST OF THE REGION DURING THE SUMMER. THIS ALLOWED AN UPPER 
LEVEL DISTURBANCE TO BRING CLOUDS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS IN EARLY JULY. DURING THE MIDDLE OF JULY...THE 
REMNANTS OF HURRICANE CLAUDETTE TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN TEXAS INTO 
THE BIG BEND REGION. THIS BROUGHT ADDITIONAL CLOUDINESS...SHOWERS 
AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MAINLY THE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE REGION. 
THE PERIOD OF HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRED IN EARLY AUGUST.

A WETTER AND COOLER PATTERN EMERGED IN LATE AUGUST AND CONTINUED 
THROUGH SEPTEMBER...BROUGHT ABOUT BY UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AND 
COLD FRONTS. TYPICALLY THE REGION DOES NOT EXPERIENCE THE ROUTINE 
PASSAGE OF COLD FRONTS UNTIL THE LATTER HALF OF SEPTEMBER. A 
SIGNIFICANT WET PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 5TH TO 12TH BROUGHT RAINFALL 
AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES TO MUCH OF THE REGION.

AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSSURE DOMINATED FROM LATE OCTOBER 
INTO EARLY NOVEMBER WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND ABOVE NORMAL 
TEMPERATURES.

THE LAST APPRECIABLE RAINFALL (GREATER THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH) 
OCCURRED IN EARLY NOVEMBER IN ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO...AND THE 
MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER IN JUNCTION.

DRY WEATHER PREVAILED THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR. STORM SYSTEM 
TRACKS WERE TOO FAR NORTH TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE MOISTURE RETURN. 
THIS PATTERN RESULTED IN STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGES WITH GUSTY 
WINDS AND ON A FEW OCCASIONS...AREAS OF BLOWING DUST. LARGE DAY TO 
NIGHT TEMPERATURE SWINGS IN TEMPERATURE (SOMETIMES 35 TO 40 DEGREES) 
OCCURRED WITH VERY DRY AIRMASSES AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS 
MOVING ACROSS THE REGION.

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