PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE SAN ANGELO TX
705 AM CDT SUN SEP 2 2001

...HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WERE REPLACED BY A COOLER AND WETTER 
PATTERN IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING AUGUST...

RAINFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN AUGUST. THIS
MARKED THE FIRST MONTH WITH ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL SINCE MAY AT 
ABILENE...AND SINCE MARCH AT SAN ANGELO. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED NEAR
TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.  

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR AUGUST WAS
83.4 DEGREES. THIS WAS 0.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE OF 83.2
DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 3.39 INCHES. THIS WAS
0.59 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 2.80 INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR AUGUST
WAS 83.1 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE OF
81.9 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 3.67 INCHES. THIS
WAS 1.74 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.93 INCHES. 

AUGUST 2001 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

BENEFICIAL RAINFALL DURING THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST BROUGHT SHORT-
TERM RELIEF TO THE SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION. 

THE HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS FROM JULY CONTINUED THROUGH THE FIRST HALF
OF AUGUST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...DUE TO THE PERSISTENT INFLUENCE
OF AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM. THIS IS WHEN ALL OF THE 
HUNDRED-DEGREE WEATHER OCCURRED FOR THE MONTH. THE NUMBER OF DAYS 
WHERE TEMPERATURES REACHED 100 DEGREES OR MORE TOTALED 5 IN ABILENE 
AND 7 IN SAN ANGELO. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH OCCURRED DURING 
THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WERE GENERALLY SPOTTY IN COVERAGE. 

A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OCCURRED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH...
WHEN THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM BROKE DOWN AND ALLOWED 
MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO TO MOVE INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BECAME MORE NUMEROUS AS UPPER LEVEL 
DISTURBANCES MOVED INTO THE REGION AND INTERACTED WITH THE MOISTURE. 

A MORE PRONOUNCED WET PERIOD OCCURRED DURING THE LAST WEEK OF THE 
MONTH AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE STALLED OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.
NUMEROUS ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS OCCURRED...BRINGING MUCH NEEDED
RAINFALL TO THE REGION. THE HEAVIEST RAIN FELL OVER CENTRAL AND 
SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WHERE SEVERAL INCHES 
OCCURRED AT SOME LOCATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN...EXTENSIVE 
CLOUDCOVER HELD DAYTIME TEMPERATURES DOWN IN THE 80S FOR MOST OF THE 
LAST WEEK OF AUGUST.   

THE HEAVY RAIN CAUSED FLASH FLOODING PROBLEMS IN IRION AND SOUTHERN 
TOM GREEN COUNTIES ON THE MORNING OF THE 28TH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 
4 TO 6 INCHES OCCURRED FROM MERTZON TO CHRISTOVAL. IN CHRISTOVAL...
A FEW HOME AND CAR RESCUES WERE REPORTED...ALONG WITH SOME ROAD 
CLOSURES. A COUPLE OF ROADS WERE ALSO TEMPORARILY CLOSED NEAR 
MERTZON. IN ADDITION...AREA RIVERS EXPERIENCED RAPID RISES IN WATER 
LEVELS FROM THE HEAVY RAIN. MODERATE FLOODING OCCURRED ALONG THE 
SOUTH CONCHO RIVER NEAR CHRISTOVAL. THE MIDDLE CONCHO RIVER NEAR 
TANKERSLEY REACHED NEAR BANKFULL.  

NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING AUGUST.