WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
154 AM CST WED JAN 3 2001

...6TH COOLEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR ABILENE...
...8TH COOLEST DECEMBER FOR SAN ANGELO...

WEST CENTRAL TEXAS EXPERIENCED COLDER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS DURING DECEMBER. 

ABILENE RECORDED ITS 6TH COOLEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...WHILE SAN ANGELO 
RECORDED ITS 8TH COOLEST DECEMBER. AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER WAS 39.6 DEGREES. THIS WAS 5.9 DEGREES BELOW THE 
NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 45.5 DEGREES. AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL  
AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER WAS 42.6 DEGREES. THIS WAS 
3.4 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 46.0 DEGREES. 

PRECIPITATION WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL FOR ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO IN 
DECEMBER. AT ABILENE...THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR DECEMBER WAS 0.92 INCH. 
THIS WAS 0.11 INCH BELOW THE NORMAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION OF 1.03 INCHES. 
AT SAN ANGELO...THE DECEMBER TOTAL PRECIPITATION WAS 0.60 INCH. THIS WAS
0.19 INCH BELOW THE NORMAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION OF 0.79 INCH.  

...DECEMBER 2000 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

DURING DECEMBER...THREE DIFFERENT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT WINTRY 
PRECIPITATION TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. 

THE FIRST SYSTEM AFFECTED THE REGION LATE ON THE 2ND AND 3RD. THE 
PRECIPITATION WAS PRIMARILY A MIX OF RAIN AND SLEET SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 
MERTZON TO SAN ANGELO TO CROSS PLAINS. A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET OCCURRED OVER 
THE NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY AND BIG COUNTRY. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COKE 
COUNTY WHERE ONE TO TWO INCHES OF SNOW FELL...THE SNOW WAS GENERALLY LIGHT 
WITH LITTLE ACCUMULATION ELSEWHERE.

THE SECOND SYSTEM INFLUENCED WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 12TH AND EARLY ON THE 
13TH. THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOSTLY FREEZING RAIN...ALTHOUGH A LITTLE SNOW 
FELL OVER THE BIG COUNTRY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TENTH TO ONE QUARTER OF 
AN INCH OCCURRED OVER  PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY. 
ELSEWHERE THE ICE ACCUMULATIONS WERE LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. SINCE 
TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW FREEZING (IN THE 20S)...THE FREEZING RAIN CREATED 
ICY ROADS AND BRIDGES...AND THIS RESULTED IN NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. THE 
ICE QUICKLY MELTED DURING THE DAY ON THE 13TH...AS TEMPERATURES RAPIDLY ROSE 
ABOVE FREEZING. 

THE EFFECTS FROM THE THIRD STORM SYSTEM WERE FELT ON THE 25TH...26TH...AND 
27TH. FREEZING DRIZZLE OCCURRED OVER THE BIG COUNTRY ON CHRISTMAS DAY. A MIX 
OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF THE REGION ON 
CHRISTMAS NIGHT...AND SOME OF IT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. 
THIS CREATED ICY ROADS AND RESULTED IN NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. ABOUT AN 
INCH OF LIGHT SNOW OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF THE BIG COUNTRY ON THE 27TH...AS 
THE STORM SYSTEM TRACKED OVER THE AREA.