PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
550 PM CST THU JAN 1 2004

...SAN ANGELO TIED A RECORD FOR THE DRIEST DECEMBER...
...ABILENE TIED A RECORD FOR THE 7TH DRIEST DECEMBER...

TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL AND PRECIPITATION WAS WELL BELOW 
NORMAL FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN DECEMBER. 

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER 
WAS 48.8 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 45.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR ABILENE IN 
DECEMBER WAS ONLY 0.01 INCHES. THIS WAS 1.26 INCHES BELOW THE 
MONTHLY NORMAL OF 1.27 INCHES. THIS SHARES WITH TWO OTHER YEARS A 
TIE FOR THE 7TH DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT ABILENE. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 
DECEMBER WAS 49.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 46.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR SAN 
ANGELO IN DECEMBER WAS JUST A TRACE. THIS WAS 0.94 INCHES BELOW THE 
MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.94 INCHES. THIS SHARES WITH SEVEN OTHER YEARS A 
TIE FOR THE DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT SAN ANGELO.


DECEMBER 2003 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

THROUGHOUT DECEMBER...RATHER DRY AIRMASSES AFFECTED WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS. THE TRACKS OF SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEMS INTO THE 
REGION WERE TOO FAR NORTH TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE MOISTURE RETURN FROM 
THE GULF OF MEXICO...AND LITTLE OR NO PRECIPITATION OCCURRED.

THE LAST APPRECIABLE RAINFALL (GREATER THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH) 
OCCURRED IN EARLY NOVEMBER IN ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO...AND THE 
MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER IN JUNCTION.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS OCCURRED ON THE 9TH AS A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL 
STORM SYSTEM MOVED INTO TEXAS AND THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...AND A COLD 
FRONT SWEPT THROUGH THE REGION. AFTER THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THE 
WINDS SHIFTED TO THE NORTHWEST AND BROUGHT AREAS OF BLOWING DUST TO 
THE AREA. WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH OCCURRED ACROSS MOST OF WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED 48 MPH IN SAN ANGELO AND 45 
MPH IN ABILENE. WITH MOISTURE LACKING FROM THIS SYSTEM IN WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS...NO PRECIPITATION OCCURRED.

ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM TRACKED FROM FAR WEST TEXAS INTO 
OKLAHOMA ON THE 12TH. TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO NEAR THE FREEZING MARK 
IN THE BIG COUNTRY FOLLOWING A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. ALTHOUGH 
MOISTURE WAS LIMITED WITH THE STORM SYSTEM IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...A 
LITTLE LIGHT FREEZING RAIN FELL NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. WITH THE 
WARM GROUND AND RATHER LIGHT PRECIPITATION HOWEVER...NO ICING 
PROBLEMS OCCURRED. PATCHY LIGHT RAIN OCCURRED FARTHER TO THE SOUTH 
WITH AMOUNTS GENERALLY LESS THAN FIVE HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH.

A STORM SYSTEM TRACKED INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS ON THE 15TH. THIS 
SYSTEM BROUGHT GUSTY WEST WINDS AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST TO WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WINDS SHIFTED TO NORTHWEST WITH THE PASSAGE OF A 
STRONG COLD FRONT.

A FOURTH UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVED EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN 
PLAINS ON THE 22ND. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS CHANGED TO WEST AND THEN 
NORTHWEST AS A DRY COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH THE REGION. ALTHOUGH THE 
WINDS WERE NOT AS STRONG WITH THIS SYSTEM AS WITH THE PREVIOUS TWO 
IN DECEMBER...A BRIEF PERIOD OF BLOWING DUST OCCURRED IN THE WESTERN 
BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY...AND NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY.

A FEW LIGHT RAINSHOWERS OCCURRED IN THE HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST HILL 
COUNTRY ON THE LATE EVENING OF THE 26TH...AS A COLD FRONT ENTERED 
THE REGION. HOWEVER...AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF 
AN INCH.

FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF EACH STORM SYSTEM...HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS 
MOVED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO TEXAS. AS THESE SYSTEMS SETTLED OVER WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS...THE COMBINATION OF CLEAR SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND DRY 
AIR RESULTED IN LOW TEMPERATURES WHICH WERE WELL BELOW FREEZING. 

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