WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
550 AM CST FRI JAN 5 2007

...WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2006...

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS. SCATTERED AREAS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HEARTLAND AND
NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY RECEIVED BETWEEN 20 AND 30 INCHES OF
RAIN FOR THE YEAR. FOR THE REST OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS THE YEARLY
AMOUNTS GENERALLY RANGED FROM 10 TO 20 INCHES. FOR MUCH OF THE
REGION...THESE AOUNTS WERE LESS THAN 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE WAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL. SAN ANGELO
RECORDED ITS 3RD WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WHILE ABILENE RECORDED
ITS 7TH WARMEST. IN ADDITION...SAN ANGELO AND ABILENE BOTH RECORDED
THEIR 4TH WARMEST SPRING SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. SAN ANGELO
RECORDED ITS 7TH WARMEST JANUARY AND 7TH WARMEST MAY. ABILENE
RECORDED ITS 4TH WARMEST JANUARY AND 9TH WARMEST APRIL.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
2006 WAS 66.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.3 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 64.4 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE 7TH WARMEST YEAR ON
RECORD FOR ABILENE. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 20.77 INCHES.
THIS WAS 3.01 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION OF 23.78
INCHES. TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR AT ABILENE WAS 0.6 INCHES. THIS
WAS 4.3 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL YEARLY SNOWFALL OF 4.9 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
2006 WAS 67.4 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.9 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL ANNUAL
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 64.5 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE 3RD WARMEST YEAR
ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR WAS 17.65
INCHES. THIS WAS 3.26 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION OF
20.91 INCHES. TOTAL SNOWFALL FOR THE YEAR AT SAN ANGELO WAS A TRACE.
THIS WAS 2.9 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL YEARLY SNOWFALL OF 2.9 INCHES.

*DROUGHT AND ITS EFFECTS*

THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS...WHICH DEVELOPED IN 2005...CONTINUED
THROUGH THE WINTER...SPRING AND MUCH OF THE SUMMER OF 2006 ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. IN JANUARY...STORM SYSTEMS TRACKED NORTH OF
THE REGION INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS BROUGHT INTRUSIONS OF
VERY DRY AIR AND GUSTY WINDS TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS LED TO
THE OCCURRENCE OF NUMEROUS GRASS FIRES. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FIRES
OCCURRED ON NEW YEARS DAY. THE PROLONGED NATURE OF THE DROUGHT
HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON CROPS IN WEST CENTRAL AND OTHER PARTS
OF TEXAS.

*SEVERE WEATHER*

THE MOST CONCENTRATED PERIOD OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...IN 2006...OCCURRED DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY. DURING THE 
PERIOD FROM MAY 1-5...A TOTAL OF 134 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE 
RECEIVED. 
  
*SUMMER WEATHER*

FOR MUCH OF THE SUMMER...A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT WAS IN CLOSE
ENOUGH PROXIMITY TO BRING HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS TO WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS FOR THE YEAR WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES
REACHED 100 DEGREES OR MORE INCLUDED 37 AT SAN ANGELO. THIS MARKS
THE 9TH GREATEST NUMBER OF DAYS IN A YEAR FOR THIS RECORD. THE
NUMBER OF DAYS WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES REACHED 100 DEGREES OR
MORE AT ABILENE WAS 24.

*WINTER WEATHER*

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE
OF FEBRUARY...AND AT THE END OF NOVEMBER. IN THE FEBRUARY EVENT...
VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WERE ACCOMPANIED BY BRISK NORTH WINDS...
RESULTING IN WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS.
FREEZING DRIZZLE ALSO OCCURRED...CAUSING ICY SPOTS ON SOME
BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. THIS RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF TRAFFIC
ACCIDENTS. FOR THE LATE NOVEMBER EVENT...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM
INTERACTED WITH COLD AIR IN THE REGION AND BROUGHT A MIX OF
SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN NORTH OF A SAN ANGELO TO BROWNWOOD
LINE. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATED TO AROUND ONE INCH AT SOME
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY. SNOWFALL OF 2 TO 3 INCHES
OCCURRED IN HASKELL AND THROCKMORTON COUNTIES.

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