PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
901 PM CST MON FEB 2 2009

...TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL AND PRECIPITATION WAS
BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN JANUARY...

ALTHOUGH JANUARY IS NORMALLY THE DRIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...THE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FOR THIS
JANUARY WERE LESS THAN 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS MUCH OF THE
REGION. SCATTERED POCKETS ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS RECEIVED ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH. FOR THE REST OF THE AREA...THE
AMOUNTS WERE LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY
WAS 46.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 43.5 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY WAS
0.17 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.80 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL
OF 0.97 INCHES. A TRACE OF SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED IN ABILENE IN
JANUARY.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
JANUARY WAS 48.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.1 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 44.9 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR
JANUARY WAS 0.06 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.76 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY
NORMAL OF 0.82 INCHES. NO SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED IN SAN ANGELO
IN JANUARY.


JANUARY 2009 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

WITH DRY AIRMASSES PREVAILING...PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE LOW
DURING THE MONTH. THE COMBINATION OF RATHER DRY AIR AND GENERALLY
CLEAR SKIES ALLOWED FOR LARGE TEMPERATURE SWINGS BETWEEN THE
DAYTIME HIGHS AND NIGHTTIME LOWS (MORE THAN 35 DEGREES) ON A
NUMBER OF DAYS).

UNSEASONABLY WARM CONDITIONS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS
DURING THE MONTH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 80 DEGREES OR
MORE ON 3 DAYS IN ABILENE...5 DAYS IN SAN ANGELO AND 5 DAYS IN
JUNCTION. AT SAN ANGELO...NEW RECORD HIGHS WERE ESTABLISHED ON
THE 2ND AND 9TH. A RECORD HIGH WAS TIED AT SAN ANGELO ON THE
22ND.

FOLLOWING A STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE EARLY ON THE 4TH...AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS FROM
THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. THIS SYSTEM INTERACTED WITH THE
MUCH COLDER AIR AND BROUGHT LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT FREEZING
RAIN ON THE 5TH. THE FREEZING RAIN OCCURRED ACROSS CENTRAL
AND NORTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. TEMPERATURES WERE
COLD ENOUGH ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY TO ALLOW FOR SOME ICE
ACCUMULATION ON THE ROADS. THIS CAUSED HAZARDOUS TRAVEL
CONDITIONS...AND RESULTED IN NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN
THE ABILENE AREA.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH...A STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE
OCCURRED ON LATE ON THE 14TH. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE 15TH
WERE IN THE UPPER 30S AT ABILENE...AND IN THE LOWER 40S AT SAN
ANGELO.

ON THE 22ND...THE COMBINATION OF UNSEASONABLY WARM
TEMPERATURES...SOMEWHAT GUSTY WINDS AND A VERY DRY AIRMASS
RESULTED IN AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER ACROSS MUCH OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS. WITH THESE CONDITIONS...A GRASS FIRE OCCURRED
ABOUT 10 TO 15 MILES NORTH OF ABILENE...IN JONES COUNTY. THIS
FIRE PROMPTED EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS. THE FIRE CONSUMED EIGHT
HOMES...AND ABOUT 20 BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS.

LATE IN THE MONTH...A WINTER PRECIPITATION EVENT OCCURRED
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...AS A POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
MOVED OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. WITH
COLD AIR IN PLACE AND THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM...FREEZING
DRIZZLE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY LATE ON THE 26TH.
FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING RAIN OCCURRED ACROSS THAT AREA ON
THE 27TH...FOLLOWED BY SLEET AND LIGHT SNOW. FARTHER TO THE
SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING
RAIN OCCURRED ON THE 27TH...AND THE PRECIPITATION CHANGED TO
LIGHT SLEET AND SNOW AT SOME LOCATIONS BEFORE ENDING. WITH
TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING ACROSS THE REGION...A LIGHT GLAZE
OF ICE DEVELOPED AND RESULTED IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.
NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED.

THE WEATHER PATTERN WAS TRANQUIL DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF
THE MONTH.

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