...9TH COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT ABILENE...

TEMPERATURES AVERAGED BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
IN DECEMBER...MOST NOTABLY IN THE BIG COUNTRY. PRECIPITATION
FOR THE MONTH VARIED FROM ABOVE TO BELOW NORMAL. THE DECEMBER
PRECIPITATION WAS LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS
SOUTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WHERE LESS THAN
ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH WAS RECEIVED. FOR A LARGER PART OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS...THE MONTHLY AMOUNTS RANGED FROM ONE HALF TO
ONE INCH. FOR SCATTERED LOCATIONS ACROSS THE EASTERN BIG
COUNTRY...NORTHEASTERN CONCHO VALLEY AND NORTHERN HEARTLAND...
THE MONTHLY AMOUNTS WERE ABOVE NORMAL...IN THE RANGE OF 1.5 TO
3 INCHES. 
 
AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
DECEMBER WAS 40.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.7 DEGREES BELOW THE
NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 45.4 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE 9TH
COLDEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR ABILENE. TOTAL PRECIPITATION
FOR ABILENE IN DECEMBER WAS 1.87 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.60 INCHES
ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 1.27 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR DECEMBER WAS 44.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.1 DEGREES BELOW
THE NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 46.4 DEGREES. TOTAL
PRECIPITATION FOR SAN ANGELO IN DECEMBER WAS 1.68 INCHES.
THIS WAS 0.74 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.94 INCHES.

FOR ABILENE...AN UNOFFICIAL SNOWFALL FOR DECEMBER WAS 6.5
INCHES. SAN ANGELO RECORDED 1.7 INCHES OF SNOW IN DECEMBER.

DECEMBER 2009 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

SEVERAL WINTER WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED ACROSS THE REGION IN
DECEMBER. THE WEATHER PATTERN WAS RATHER ACTIVE ACROSS THE
AREA DURING THE EARLY AND LATE PARTS OF THE MONTH.

A COUPLE OF PRECIPITATION EVENTS OCCURRED EARLY IN THE MONTH.
AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM TRACKED FROM NORTHEASTERN MEXICO ON
THE 1ST...NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 1ST AND 2ND. THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM
BROUGHT RAIN TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 1ST. COLDER AIR WITH
THE STORM SYSTEM CAUSED RAIN TO CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF
THE BIG COUNTRY...DURING THE POST-MIDNIGHT HOURS OF THE 2ND.
SNOWFALL UP TO 2 INCHES WAS REPORTED IN THE ABILENE AREA. A
FEW LOCATIONS EAST OF ABILENE RECEIVED THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS...
IN THE RANGE OF 2.5 TO OVER 5 INCHES. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL
TOTAL WAS 12 MILES SOUTH OF BAIRD...WHERE 5.5 INCHES WAS
MEASURED.

A COLD AIRMASS REMAINED OVER THE REGION ON THE 3RD. A STRONG
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKED SOUTHEAST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS ON THE MORNING OF THE 4TH...BRINING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE
AREA SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES
WERE REPORTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE CONCHO VALLEY...SOUTHERN
HEARTLAND...AND INTO SOUTHERN PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THE
HIGHEST REPORTED SNOWFALL TOTAL WAS 2.5 INCHES IN WATER VALLEY.
THE SNOW OCCURRED WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING...IN THE
UPPER 20S. THIS ALLOWED THE SNOW TO ACCUMULATE...AND RESULTED
IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
WERE REPORTED IN THE SAN ANGELO AREA.

A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTLED INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
LATE ON THE 4TH. WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...TEMPERATURES DIPPED INTO THE TEENS AND
LOWER 20S FOR L0WS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS ON THE
EARLY MORNING OF THE 5TH. THE COLDEST LOWS WERE ACROSS
SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

TEMPERATURES ON THE 7TH WERE MUCH COLDER...FOLLOWING A STRONG COLD
FRONTAL PASSAGE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 6TH AND 7TH.
wITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS...TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM THE UPPER
20S ACROSS PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY TO THE 30S ACROSS THE AREAS
FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND. SOME FREEZING
DRIZZLE OCCURRED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY ON THE 7TH AND INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 8TH...WHERE TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW
FREEZING. 

ON THE 8TH...A POTENT STORM SYSTEM MOVED INTO THE SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL PLAINS. TEMPERATURES WERE MUCH WARMER ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS AS GUSTY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS DEVELOPED. THE TEMPERATURE
RANGE...BETWEEN THE MORNING LOWS AND AFTERNOON HIGHS...WAS BETWEEN
45 AND 55 DEGREES ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WINDS
WERE STRONGEST ACROSS THE AREA WEST OF A LINE FROM SWEETWATER TO
OZONA. SOME BLOWING DUST WAS CARRIED ALOFT INTO THE NORTHERN HALF
OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING THE EVENING AND EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS
OF THE 8TH.

ANOTHER STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHED SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 8TH AND 9TH. TEMPERATURES
DROPPED RAPIDLY INTO THE UPPER TEENS TO LOWER 20S ON THE EARLY
MORNING OF THE 9TH...AND INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S FARTHER SOUTH.
WIND CHILL VALUES DROPPED INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE BIG
COUNTRY...AND INTO THE TEENS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA FARTHER TO
THE SOUTH.  THE COLD AIRMASS SLOWLY MODERATED OVER THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS ACROSS THE REGION. 

A QUIETER WEATHER PATTERN PREVAILED DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE
MONTH...WITH A COUPLE OF DRY COLD FRONTAL PASSAGES.

A MAJOR WINTER WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED LATE IN THE MONTH...WHEN AN
INTENSIFYING STORM TRACKED FROM NEW MEXICO EAST ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS. WITH SOUTH WINDS OUT AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING
SYSTEM...TEMPERATURES REACHED THE 70 TO 75 DEGREE RANGE FOR HIGHS
ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 23RD. ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST
WINDS FOLLOWED THE PASSAGE OF AN INITIAL COLD FRONT DURING THE
EVENING AND EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 23RD. SAN ANGELO RECORDED
A PEAK WIND GUST OF 47 MPH.

A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE LATE EVENING
WAS FOLLOWED BY AN AREA OF RAIN OVERNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE
QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH WERE WIDESPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH SCATTERED HALF TO ONE INCH AMOUNTS. A FEW
LOCATIONS RECEIVED OVER ONE INCH.

AS THE STRENGTHENING STORM SYSTEM TRACKED OVER WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY DURING THE
POST-MIDNIGHT HOURS OF THE 24TH. DURING THE DAY OF THE 24TH...
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WAS ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY NORTH
ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY. THIS CREATED WHITEOUT AND NEAR-BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THESE CONDITIONS ARE VERY RARELY
OBSERVED THIS FAR TO THE SOUTH. THE PEAK WIND GUST AT THE
ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT WAS 52 MPH. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS RANGED
FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY.

FARTHER TO THE SOUTH...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATED TO AROUND 2 INCHES
ACROSS THE NORTHERN HEARTLAND AREA ON THE 24TH. LIGHT SNOW
OCCURRED AS FAR SOUTH AS SAN ANGELO ON THE 24TH. MUCH COLDER
AIR POURED SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WITH GUSTY NORTH TO
NORTHWEST WINDS. A PEAK WIND GUST OF 43 MPH OCCURRED AT JUNCTION.

WITH CLEARING SKIES IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING STORM SYSTEM AND
HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...TEMPERATURES
DROPPED INTO THE TEENS FOR LOWS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING AND THE 26TH.
THE COLDEST READINGS WERE OVER THE BIG COUNTRY. THE COLD AIRMASS
WAS SLOW TO MODERATE OVER THE BIG COUNTRY...DUE TO THE MELTING
SNOW. 

ANOTHER SNOW EVENT OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN HALF OF
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 29TH...WITH THE APPROACH AND ARRIVAL
OF A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE FROM NEW MEXICO AND NORTHERN
MEXICO. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AROUND ONE INCH OCCURRED ACROSS THE BIG
COUNTRY...WITH AN INCH OR LESS FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS PARTS OF THE
CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND.

MUCH WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS OCCURRED ON THE LAST COUPLE OF
DAYS OF DECEMBER. WITH WEST WINDS AND CONSIDERABLE SUNSHINE...
TEMPERATURES WARMED INTO THE 60S ON THE 30TH. ANOTHER COLD FRONT
PUSHED SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 31ST. 

$$