WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
743 AM CST SAT JAN 1 2005

...FIRST EVER RECORDED DECEMBER TORNADOES IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...

TEMPERATURES AVERAGED NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL FOR DECEMBER. WITH THE 
EXCEPTION OF A FEW LOCATIONS (MAINLY FAR NORTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN 
COUNTIES)...PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS IN DECEMBER. 

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER 
WAS 47.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.9 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 45.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR ABILENE IN 
DECEMBER WAS 0.73 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.54 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY 
NORMAL OF 1.27 INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 
DECEMBER WAS 46.6 DEGREES. THIS WAS 0.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 46.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR SAN 
ANGELO IN DECEMBER WAS 0.38 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.56 INCHES BELOW THE 
MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.94 INCHES. 

JUNCTION RECORDED 0.82 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FOR DECEMBER.


DECEMBER 2004 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

THE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER INCLUDE A LATE SEASON SEVERE
WEATHER EVENT AND A WINTER WEATHER EVENT.

SEASONALLY DRY AIRMASSES OCCUPIED WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING MUCH
OF DECEMBER...AND THIS RESULTED IN MUCH LOWER RAINFALL AMOUNTS
THAN HAD OCCURRED DURING THE PRECEDING MONTHS.

A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE OCCURRED THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL TEXAS AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH...WHEN A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM 
SETTLED INTO THE REGION. LOW TEMPERATURES ON THE 1ST WERE 
GENERALLY IN THE MID 20S. AT FEW LOCATIONS IN LOW-LYING AREAS AND
RIVER VALLEYS HOWEVER...THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED INTO THE LOWER 20S. 

A LATE SEASON SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 6TH...AND THIS
EVENT MARKS THE FIRST TIME TORNADOES HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN 
DECEMBER IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS 
MOVED RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS AS A STRONG UPPER 
LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED INTO THE REGION FROM NEW MEXICO. WITHIN 
THIS LINE OF STORMS...TWO TORNADOES OCCURRED. ONE OF THE TORNADOES 
(RATED F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE) DAMAGED ROOFS AND METAL OUTBUILDINGS 
IN SANTA ANNA (COLEMAN COUNTY). THE SECOND TORNADO (RATED F1 ON THE 
FUJITA SCALE) CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES AND METAL 
OUTBUILDINGS IN THE AREA AROUND LAKE BROWNWOOD (BROWN COUNTY). 
WINDS GUSTED TO 47 MPH AT ABILENE AND 51 MPH AT SAN ANGELO WITH THE 
PASSAGE OF THE STORMS. REPORTED RAINFALL AMOUNTS GENERALLY RANGED 
FROM FIFTEEN HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH TO ONE HALF INCH. 

A WINTER WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED BY LATE IN THE MONTH. FOLLOWING A 
STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE...MUCH COLDER AIR POURED SOUTHWARD 
INTO TEXAS BY THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 22ND. AS AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE WHICH MOVED EAST INTO THE REGION INITIALLY BROUGHT 
RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. THE RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW NORTH 
OF A LINE FROM MERTZON TO BROWNWOOD. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...
SLEET AND SNOW OCCURRED IN PARTS OF THE HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST
HILL COUNTRY. SNOW CONTINUED INTO THE MORNING OF THE 22ND. 
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY AN INCH OR LESS IN THE CONCHO
VALLEY AND HEARTLAND...BUT A BURST OF SNOW BROUGHT UP TO 6 INCHES
IN RUNNELS AND NORTHERN COLEMAN COUNTIES. IN THE BIG COUNTRY...
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES. ABILENE RECORDED 
4.3 INCHES. TEMPERATURES HOVERED JUST BELOW FREEZING ACROSS
THE BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND ON THE 22ND.  
NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED ACROSS THE BIG 
COUNTRY WITH THE HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS.  

VERY COLD AIR REMAINED ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH
THE 23RD AND 24TH..AS A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTLED SOUTHWARD
INTO TEXAS. TEMPERATURES REMAINED BELOW FREEZING DURING THIS
TIME ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND. 
NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES DIPPED INTO THE TEENS AT NUMEROUS 
LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. WIND CHILL VALUES 
DROPPED INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AT TIMES.

WITH SUNNY SKIES AND A DRY AIRMASS...TEMPERATURES QUICKLY 
MODERATED ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND THE 26TH. MILD AND MUCH ABOVE 
NORMAL TEMPERATURES OCCURRED AT THE END OF THE MONTH...ALONG 
WITH A RETURN OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO THE REGION.

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