WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
947 AM CST THU DEC 29 2005

...FROM FLOOD TO FIRE...
...2005 A YEAR OF EXTREMES...

...FLOOD...
RAINFALL WAS SPORADIC ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING 2005. MUCH OF
THE AREA FINISHED THE YEAR JUST SHORT OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
ABILENE MEASURED 19.66 INCHES OF RAIN...OR 4.12 INCHES BELOW NORMAL
RAINFALL...AND SAN ANGELO MEASURED 20.40 INCHES...OR ABOUT HALF AN
INCH BELOW NORMAL.

THERE WERE SEVERAL HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS THAT PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT
FLOODING TO PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

JUNE 4TH...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED UP TO SOFTBALL SIZE HAIL
FOLLOWED BY NEARLY EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PUTNAM AREA. THIS
HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT TIME CREATED FLASH FLOODING IN THE
COMMUNITY AND TO PORTIONS OF THE SERVICE ROAD OF IH 20. FOR A BRIEF
PERIOD...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS CLOSED THE INTERSTATE UNTIL THE
FLOOD WATERS RECEDED.

AUGUST 9TH...THUNDERSTORMS GENERATED ALMOST 12 INCHES OF RAIN AT
CROSS PLAINS. CITY STREETS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES WERE INUNDATED WITH
FLOOD WATERS THAT EVENTUALLY POURED INTO LAKE BROWNWOOD.

AUGUST 13TH THROUGH 17TH...HEAVY RAINS OF TEN TO TWELVE INCHES FELL
ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY AND WESTERN CONCHO VALLEY.  THIS HEAVY RAIN
ALSO FELL UPSTREAM OF LAKE STAMFORD CAUSING THE LAKE TO QUICKLY
CLIMB OVER 14 FEET.  AT LEAST 60 HOMES AROUND THE LAKE WERE FLOODED.

...FIRE...
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER...THE RAINS CAME TO A HALT ACROSS THE AREA.
AVERAGE RAINFALL REPORTS ACROSS THE AREA MEASURED LESS THAN A TENTH
OF AN INCH FOR THE TWO MONTH PERIOD.  THE LATE SUMMER RAINS CREATED
PLENTIFUL VEGETATION THAT EVENTUALLY DRIED AND BECAME FUELS FOR WILD
FIRES.

SEVERAL FIRES BROKE OUT ACROSS THE AREA IN DECEMBER INCLUDING A
SIGNIFICANT EVENT.

DECEMBER 27TH...A DEVASTATING FIRE DESTROYED MANY HOMES IN THE TOWN
OF CROSS PLAINS AND CLAIMED TWO LIVES.

...SEVERE WEATHER...
MAY 8TH AND 31ST...PRODUCED THE MOST WIDESPREAD HAIL AND TORNADOES
ACROSS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

MAY 8TH...MOTHERS DAY...WIDESPREAD GOLFBALL TO ALMOST SOFTBALL
SIZE HAIL IMPACTED PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY AND THE HEARTLAND. THE
LARGEST HAILSTONE...WHICH MEASURED 4.25 INCHES...FELL NEAR MASON
AND PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.

MAY 31ST...6 TORNADOES WERE SPAWNED INCLUDING THE 1ST EVER RECORDED
TORNADO IN MENARD COUNTY.  AT ONE TIME...TWO TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCED FUNNELS AND TORNADOES IN BOTH ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO.
GOLFBALL TO GRAPEFRUIT SIZE HAIL...AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IMPACTED A
LARGE PART OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE SEVERE STORMS DESTROYED
CROPS...AND DAMAGED VEHICLES AND BUILDINGS.  THE TOWN OF ROBERT LEE
WAS STRUCK 3 TIMES BY SEVERE WEATHER THAT EVENING.

...ROLLER COASTER RECORD HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES...
AFTER RECORD HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S ON DECEMBER 3RD...TEMPERATURES
PLUMMETED TO RECORD LOWS ON DECEMBER 8TH AS A STRONG SURGE OF ARCTIC
AIR INVADED THE AREA.

FOR THE YEAR...THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRED IN EARLY JULY...105
DEGREES AT ABILENE ON JULY 3RD...AND LATE SEPTEMBER...107 AT SAN
ANGELO ON SEPTEMBER 25TH. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES FOR THE YEAR
OCCURRED IN EARLY DECEMBER...10 AT ABILENE ON DECEMBER 8...AND 11
DEGREES AT SAN ANGELO ON DECEMBER 9.

...THE LONG RANGE FORECAST...
THE 90-DAY OUTLOOK FOR JANUARY THROUGH MARCH 2006...ISSUED BY THE
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...CALLS FOR TEMPERATURES TO MOST LIKELY
AVERAGE IN THE ABOVE NORMAL CATEGORY FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.
PRECIPITATION IS MOST LIKELY TO BE BELOW NORMAL. WEAK LA NINA
CONDITIONS IN THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN HAVE DEVELOPED...AND ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS WINTER INTO THE SPRING.

$$