APRIL 2011 WEATHER SUMMARY FOR WEST-CENTRAL TEXAS

...WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO...
...2ND WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD FOR ABILENE...

IN ADDITION...SAN ANGELO TIED ITS 6TH DRIEST APRIL ON RECORD.

TEMPERATURES WERE UNSEASONABLY WARM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN
APRIL...ESPECIALLY WITH THE AFTERNOON HIGHS.

PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH VARIED FROM ABOVE TO WELL-BELOW
NORMAL. THE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL IN SCATTERED
POCKETS ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...NORTHERN HEARTLAND...AND
ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM IRAAN TO
PAINT ROCK. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE MOSTLY IN THE RANGE OF 2
TO 3 INCHES FOR THESE SCATTERED POCKETS. THE LOWEST MONTHLY
PRECIPITATION...LESS THAN ONE HALF INCH...OCCURRED ACROSS AREAS
OF THE CONCHO VALLEY...WESTERN AND NORTHERN BIG COUNTRY...AND
IN SCATTERED POCKETS OF THE HEARTLAND...NORTHERN EDWARDS
PLATEAU AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY. FOR THESE AREAS THE MONTHLY
AMOUNTS WERE LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR APRIL
WAS 72.2 DEGREES. THIS WAS 7.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 64.6 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE 2ND WARMEST APRIL ON
RECORD AT ABILENE. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR APRIL WAS 2.44 INCHES.
THIS WAS 0.77 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 1.67 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
APRIL WAS 74.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 9.0 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 65.0 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE WARMEST
APRIL ON RECORD AT SAN ANGELO. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR APRIL
WAS ONLY 0.03 INCHES. THIS WAS 1.57 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY
NORMAL OF 1.60 INCHES. THIS TIED FOR THE 6TH DRIEST APRIL ON
RECORD AT SAN ANGELO.

THE NUMBER OF DAYS WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES REACHED 100 DEGREES
OR MORE INCLUDE...4 AT JUNCTION...3 AT SAN ANGELO...AND ZERO
AT AT ABILENE.

THE NUMBER OF DAYS WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE 90 OR ABOVE
INCLUDE...21 AT SAN ANGELO...18 AT JUNCTION...AND 15 AT
ABILENE.

APRIL 2011 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

APRIL WAS A RATHER ACTIVE MONTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WITH
WILDFIRES AND SEVERE WEATHER.

AN UNUSUALLY LARGE NUMBER OF GRASS AND BRUSH FIRES OCCURRED
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE SURROUNDING REGION IN APRIL.
A COMBINATION OF SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS...
OCCASIONAL OCCURRENCE OF UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES...
AND INTRUSIONS OF VERY DRY AIR INTO THE REGION RESULTED IN
CONDITIONS WHICH WERE VERY CONDUCIVE TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND
GROWTH OF WILDFIRES.  

WEATHER EVENTS WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND SEVERE WEATHER ALSO
BROUGHT LOCALLY HEAVY...BUT MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL...TO SOME
PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

* EARLY APRIL *

TEMPERATURES WERE UNSEASONABLY WARM ON THE 2ND AND 3RD...AS
AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM BUILT EAST INTO TEXAS
FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. HIGHS WERE IN THE 90S ON THE
2ND...AND IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S ON THE 3RD. RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE SET AT ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO ON THE 3RD.
IN ADDITION...A RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE WAS TIED AT SAN
ANGELO ON THE 3RD. GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ALSO
OCCURRED ON THE 3RD WITH WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH AT ABILENE. A
GRASS FIRE ON THE 3RD OCCURRED IN BROWN COUNTY...ON THE CAMP
BOWIE MILITARY RESERVATION. THE SIZE OF THE FIRE WAS 2955 ACRES.

DURING THE EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 3RD...AN ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED JUST EAST OF A DRYLINE...AND MOVED
QUICKLY NORTHEAST ACROSS PART OF THE BIG COUNTRY. THIS STORM
PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN ABILENE.

GUSTY NORTH WINDS FOLLOWED A COLD FRONT...WHICH MOVED SOUTH
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 4TH...BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND
10 AM. PEAK WIND GUSTS REACHED 46 MPH AT ABILENE AND JUNCTION...
AND 43 MPH AT SAN ANGELO. MUCH COOLER AIR ALSO FOLLOWED PASSAGE
OF THIS COLD FRONT...AND TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY WERE HELD
TO THE 60S FOR HIGHS. AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLED OVER THE AREA
WITH CLEAR SKIES AND DRY AIR...TEMPERATURES DIPPED INTO THE
UPPER 20S TO MID 30S ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

TEMPERATURES WERE UNSEASONABLY WARM ON THE 6TH TO 10TH...WITH
AFTERNOON HIGHS WELL INTO THE 90S. IN SAN ANGELO...A RECORD
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS SET ON THE 9TH AND TIED ON THE 8TH. RECORD
WARM LOW TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE 7TH AND 9TH AND TIED ON
THE 8TH. ON THE 9TH IN ABILENE...A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS
SET...AND A RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE WAS TIED.   

ABILENE RECORDED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 48 MPH ON THE SOUTH-
SOUTHWEST ON THE 6TH. AT JUNCTION...A PEAK GUST OF 44 MPH FROM
THE NORTHWEST OCCURRED ON THE 10TH.

A GRASS FIRE ON THE 8TH OCCURRED IN STERLING COUNTY 13 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF BROOME...AND THE FIRE SIZE WAS 2930 ACRES.

A SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY NIGHTTIME
HOURS OF THE 10TH. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE AND COLD FRONT...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
OCCURRED ACROSS THE NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU...NORTHWEST HILL
COUNTRY...HEARTLAND...AND SOUTHEASTERN CONCHO VALLEY. SEVERE
STORMS AFFECTED THE NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY AND HEARTLAND. THE
LARGEST HAIL SIZE REPORTED WAS GOLFBALL SIZE...IN MENARD COUNTY.
QUARTER SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS (SUTTON...
COLEMAN...SAN SABA...AND SCHLEICHER COUNTIES). STRONG
THUNDERSTORM WINDS BLEW OFF THE ROOF OF A BARN IN MASON
COUNTY...AND DAMAGED THE ROOF OF A BARN IN MENARD COUNTY. A 60
MPH WIND GUST WAS REPORTED IN MCCULLOCH COUNTY.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ACCOMPANIED THE STORMS. SOME OF THE AREA
SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM OZONA TO CROSS PLAINS RECEIVED AMOUNTS
BETWEEN ONE HALF AND 1.5 INCHES. SCATTERED LOCATIONS TO THE
NORTHWEST OF THIS LINE RECEIVED RAINFALL AMOUNTS MOSTLY UNDER
ONE HALF INCH. 

* MIDDLE APRIL *

DURING THE WEEK OF THE 10TH THROUGH 17TH...A NUMBER OF GRASS
AND BRUSH FIRES OCCURRED ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE
SURROUNDING REGION.

THE LARGEST FIRE (NAMED AS THE WILDCAT FIRE)...OCCURRED IN THE
SOUTHERN HALF OF COKE COUNTY AND AND NORTHERN TOM GREEN COUNTY.
THE ESTIMATED SIZE OF THIS FIRE WAS 155,000 ACRES. THE FIRE
EXPANED IN COVERAGE ON THE 14TH ACROSS SOUTHERN COKE COUNTY...
WHEN A COMBINATION OF HOT...WINDY...AND EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS
OCCURRED. IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE...GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS ON THE 15TH CAUSED THE FIRE TO SPREAD SOUTH INTO
TOM GREEN COUNTY...AND THIS PROMPTED THE EVACUATION OF
COMMUNITIES NORTH OF SAN ANGELO AND EAST OF GRAPE CREEK. THE
SMOKE PLUME FROM THIS FIRE WAS VISIBLE OVER SAN ANGELO...AND A
FEW REPORTS WERE RECEIVED OF LIGHT ASH FALLING ON THE
NORTHEASTERN AND EASTERN SIDES OF THE CITY. AT THE ABILENE
REGIONAL AIRPORT A PEAK WIND GUST OF 49 MPH WAS RECORDED ON THE
15TH. A WIND GUST OF 63 MPH WAS MEASURED BY WEATHER EQUIPMENT
ONE MILE NORTH-NORTHWEST OF HASKELL.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUSTY SOUTH WINDS ON THE 16TH CAUSED THE FIRE
TO SPREAD FARTHER NORTH INTO COKE COUNTY. THIS PROMPTED THE
EVACUATION OF SOME RESIDENCES NEAR LAKE SPENCE. AS HOT AND DRY
CONDITIONS CONTINUED ON THE 16TH THROUGH THE 19TH WITH
OCCASIONALLY GUSTY WINDS...THE FIRE EXPANDED INTO SOUTHEASTERN
COKE COUNTY. THIS PROMPTED THE EVACUATION OF THE COMMUNITY OF
TENNYSON AND THE CLOSURE OF A SECTION OF HIGHWAY 277.      

THE SECOND LARGEST FIRE OCCURRED IN CROCKETT COUNTY...ABOUT 21
MILES SOUTHWEST OF OZONA. THE ESTIMATED SIZE OF THIS FIRE WAS
31,000 ACRES.  

THE THIRD LARGEST FIRE (NAMED AS THE ENCINO FIRE)...OCCURRED
IN NORTHWEST TOM GREEN COUNTY NEAR THE BORDER WITH IRION COUNTY.
THIS FIRE WAS STARTED BY A LIGHTNING STRIKE ON THE 10TH...AND
THE SIZE WAS OVER 12,000 ACRES.

OTHER SMALLER FIRES OCCURRED NEAR THE BORDER OF SUTTON AND
CROCKETT COUNTIES...IN NORTHWESTERN MENARD COUNTY...AND IN
CALLAHAN COUNTY. 

A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON THE LATE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF THE 20TH. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS
OCCURRED...MOSTLY ACROSS THE REGION SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM
OZONA TO SAN ANGELO TO ABILENE. THE STORMS DEVELOPED AS A COLD
FRONT SAGGED SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS AND ENCOUNTERED A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS.

KIMBLE COUNTY WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT LOCATIONS. A BRIEF
TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS REPORTED ALONG INTERSTATE 10...ABOUT 5
MILES WEST OF JUNCTION. VERY LARGE HAIL OF SOFTBALL SIZE WAS
ALSO REPORTED NEAR THIS SAME LOCATION, AND THE HAIL DAMAGED
VEHICLES ALONG THAT PORTION OF THE INTERSTATE. IN ADDITION...
HAIL UP TO BILLIARD BALL SIZE WAS REPORTED IN THE VICINITY OF
ROOSEVELT...WITH VEHICLE DAMAGE.

IN CONCHO COUNTY...BASEBALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED 1-5 MILES EAST
OF EOLA...CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO A MOBILE HOME AND TRUCK.
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN PAINT ROCK...AND 9 MILES
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF MILLERSVIEW.

ELSEWHERE...TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED 12 MILES SOUTH OF
BAIRD (CALLAHAN COUNTY)...AND GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL DAMAGED TREES
IN BALLINGER. IN ADDITION...GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL DAMAGED VEHICLES
12 MILES WEST OF ELDORADO (SCHLEICHER COUNTY) AND GOLFBALL SIZE
HAIL WAS REPORTED 5 MILES EAST OF OZONA (CROCKETT COUNTY).

IN ALL...A TOTAL OF 26 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE RECEIVED FOR
THIS EVENT.    

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER...THE STORMS ALSO PRODUCED
HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL OF 1.5 TO 3 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED
HIGHER AMOUNTS...OCCURRED ACROSS AREAS OF CONCHO...MENARD...AND
KIMBLE COUNTIES...AND IN PART OF NORTHERN CROCKETT COUNTY.
ELSEWHERE...RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN ONE HALF AND 1.5 INCHES
OCCURRED AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN EDWARDS
PLATEAU...SOUTHERN AND EASTERN CONCHO VALLEY...WESTERN HEARTLAND...
AND INTO CALLAHAN COUNTY.

SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS OCCURRED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY DURING
THE EVENING AND EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 21ST. THESE STORMS
DEVELOPED IN WARM AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
A DRYLINE TO THE WEST AND WARM FRONT LIFTING TO THE NORTH.  

A ROPE TYPE OF TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN SOUTHERN JONES COUNTY...
APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HAWLEY AND NEAR THE
COMMUNITY OF STITH. A TRAILOR IN THIS AREA WAS THROWN
APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS.

LARGE HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE WAS REPORTED 4 MILES SOUTH OF ROBY
(FISHER COUNTY). PING PONG SIZE HAIL OCCURRED AT ROTAN. HAIL
RANGING FROM GOLFBALL TO HEN EGG SIZE WAS REPORTED 7 MILES NORTH
OF TRENT (JONES COUNTY).

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MOVED EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS DURING THE EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 21ST.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OCCURRED WITH THE STORMS
IN FISHER AND JONES COUNTIES. A SMALL PART OF CROCKETT COUNTY AND
PARTS OF SUTTON AND SCHLEICHER COUNTIES RECEIVED BETWEEN ONE HALF
AND ONE INCH OF RAIN.

* EASTER SUNDAY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER *

ON EASTER SUNDAY...A COMBINATION OF FAVORABLE WEATHER FACTORS LED
TO A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL
BOUNDARY WAS DRAPED ACROSS THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN BIG COUNTRY.
A DRYLINE EXTENDED FROM THE FRONT NEAR SWEETWATER SOUTHWEST TO
ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN TIP OF CROCKETT COUNTY. WITH THE APPROACH
OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE INTO A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS...
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THE STALLED FRONT
AND DRYLINE...AND REPEATEDLY TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS THE ABILENE
AREA AND ACROSS NORTHERN CALLAHAN AND SOUTHERN SHACKELFORD COUNTIES.
NUMEROUS SUPERCELL SEVERE STORMS OCCURRED WITH TORNADOES...VERY
LARGE HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

ONE OF THE SUPERCELL STORMS PRODUCED TORNADOES NORTH OF BAIRD
(CALLAHAN COUNTY)...5 MILES NORTH OF MORAN (SHACKELFORD COUNTY).
THE TORNADO DAMAGED TREES NORTH OF BAIRD. ANOTHER SUPERCELL STORM
PRODUCED 2 BRIEF TORNADOES NEAR POTOSI...BUT NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
ANOTHER OF THE STORMS WHICH TRACKED OVER THE ABILENE AREA PRODUCED
VERY LARGE HAIL. THE LARGEST HAIL OF BASEBALL TO SOFTBALL SIZE
OCCURRED ACROSS THE SOUTH HALF OF THE CITY OF ABILENE...FROM THE
MALL TO THE AIRPORT. THIS HAIL SHATTERED MANY WINDOWS OF BUILDINGS
AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO VEHICLES.

THE MERGING OF TWO STORMS NORTH OF BAIRD LED TO A MULTIPLE VORTEX
TORNADO. THIS TORNADO OCCURRED OVER OPEN COUNTRY AND NO DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED.

FARTHER TO THE SOUTH...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
SILVER VALLEY IN COLEMAN COUNTY.  THIS STORM TRACKED TO THE EAST...
FROM WINGATE IN NORTHERN RUNNELS COUNTY TO NOVICE IN NORTHWESTERN
COLEMAN COUNTY. THE STORM PRODUCED TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL 3-5 MILES
WEST OF NOVICE.

OTHER SEVERE STORMS DROPPED QUARTER TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN
CALLAHAN AND BROWN COUNTIES. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS DEVELOPED FARTHER WEST NEAR THE DRYLINE AFTER 11 PM. QUARTER
SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN BLACKWELL (NOLAN COUNTY).

IN ALL...A TOTAL OF 36 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE RECEIVED FOR THIS 
EVENT.

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER...THE STORMS CONTAINED VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL WHILE REPEATEDLY TRACKING ACROSS THE ABILENE AREA. THIS
CAUSED WIDESPREAD URBAN FLOODING ACROSS ABILENE WITH THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FOUND IN LOW-LYING INTERSECTIONS AND
UNDERPASSES. THE ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED 2.42 INCHES OF
RAINFALL.

THE HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THE STORMS PROVIDED A SHORT-TERM BENEFIT
FOR AREAS OF THE BIG COUNTRY AND NORTHERN HEARTLAND. THE HEAVIEST
RAINFALL...OVER 2 INCHES...OCCURRED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEASTERN
TAYLOR...NORTHWESTERN CALLAHAN...AND EXTREME SOUTHERN SHACKELFORD
COUNTIES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1-2 INCHES OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF
THE AREA EAST OF A LINE FROM WOODSON TO HAPPY VALLEY...AND NORTH
OF A LINE FROM HAPPY VALLEY TO MAY. ACROSS THE WESTERN BIG COUNTRY
THE AMOUNTS VARIED MOSTLY UNDER ONE HALF INCH.

WELL-ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUED UNTIL A COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 26TH AND 27TH. SEVERAL
ADDITIONAL GRASS FIRES OCCURRED...SOUTHWEST OF SAN ANGELO (TOM
GREEN COUNTY)...IN WEST-CENTRAL IRION COUNTY...SOUTHWESTERN
CROCKETT...AND SOUTHWESTERN KIMBLE COUNTIES. 

$$