PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
323 PM CDT SUN APR 2 2000

...DRIER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS CONTINUED THROUGH MARCH 2000 
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...

ALTHOUGH SEVERAL STORM SYSTEMS WOULD PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL TO 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH...PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR 
THE MONTH WERE STILL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MOST AREAS. AT ABILENE 
REGIONAL AIRPORT...JUST 0.88 INCH OF RAIN FELL IN MARCH...OR 0.48 BELOW 
THE NORMAL OF 1.36 INCHES. EVEN LESS RAIN FELL ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST 
SECTIONS OF THE AREA...WHERE JUNCTION RECORDED JUST 0.16 INCH. SAN 
ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL...WHERE 0.77 INCH 
WAS RECORDED. HOWEVER...THIS WAS STILL 0.14 BELOW THE NORMAL OF 0.91 
INCH.  

IN ADDITION TO THE DRIER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS...TEMPERATURES WERE 
ONCE AGAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN SAN ANGELO WAS 
63.0 DEGREES...OR 4.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS PLACED MARCH 2000 AS 
THE 6TH WARMEST ON RECORD IN SAN ANGELO. IN ABILENE...THE AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH WAS 60.3 DEGREES...OR 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. 
ALTHOUGH NOT AS HIGHLY PLACED IN THE RECORD BOOK AS SAN ANGELO...MARCH 
2000 IN ABILENE STILL RANKED AMONG THE 20 WARMEST MARCH'S ON RECORD.

...MARCH 2000 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

A MORE TYPICAL SPRING TYPE PATTERN PERSISTED FOR MOST OF THE MONTH OF 
MARCH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS 
PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. THE MOST 
WIDESPREAD RAIN CAME DURING THE LATE NIGHT HOURS OF THE 22ND AND EARLY 
MORNING HOURS OF THE 23RD. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT AT LEAST ONE 
HALF INCH OF RAIN TO MANY LOCATIONS WEST OF AN OZONA TO SAN ANGELO TO 
ABILENE LINE. LOCATIONS FARTHER WEST ACROSS THE PERMIAN BASIN PICKED UP 
MUCH HEAVIER RAINFALL...CAUSING THE COLORADO...BRAZOS...AND NORTH 
CONCHO RIVERS TO CLIMB OUT OF THEIR BANKS. ALTHOUGH MINOR FLOODING WAS 
REPORTED ALONG THE RIVERS...SIGNIFICANT WATER LEVEL RISES WERE NOTED ON 
SEVERAL AREA RESERVOIRS. IN ADDITION TO THE RAINFALL ON THE EVENING OF 
THE 22ND...SEVERAL BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS WERE NOTED ACROSS STERLING 
...NOLAN....AND FISHER COUNTIES...ALONG WITH REPORTS OF HAIL UP TO THE 
SIZE OF BASEBALLS.

IN ADDITION TO THE STORMS ON THE EVENING OF THE 22ND...SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS WOULD ALSO OCCUR ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DURING THE FIRST 10 
DAYS OF MARCH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS WAS REPORTED AT SEVERAL 
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 
2ND...WITH QUARTER SIZE HAIL ALSO FALLING IN THE TOWN OF MENARD DURING 
THE AFTERNOON HOURS OF THE 10TH. FINALLY...WINDS GUSTING UP TO 60 MPH 
AND DIME SIZE HAIL OCCURRED NEAR ABILENE ON THE 7TH.