PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
629 AM CDT MON APR 2 2001

...MARCH WAS COLDER THAN NORMAL AND SLIGHTLY WETTER THAN NORMAL
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...

THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES RANKED AS THE 15TH COLDEST ON 
RECORD FOR ABILENE AND 16TH COLDEST FOR SAN ANGELO. 

AT THE ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 51.2 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.9 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE
OF 56.1 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.92 INCHES.
THIS WAS 0.56 INCH ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1.36 INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 52.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 5.8 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE OF
58.1 DEGREES. THE TOTAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS 1.26 INCHES. THIS
WAS 0.35 INCH ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 0.91 INCH.

...MARCH 2001 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

TEMPERATURES WERE CONSISTENTLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS DURING MARCH. SEVERAL STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION...RESULTING IN MONTHLY PRECIPITATION 
AMOUNTS WHICH WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.   
   
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS ACCOMPANIED AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM
OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 8TH. HAIL FELL AT NUMEROUS 
LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS.
THE LARGEST HAIL REPORTED WAS GOLFBALL SIZE AT COLEMAN AND ROTAN.
QUARTER SIZE HAIL FELL AT ROBY...BUFFALO GAP...AND SANTA ANNA. 

SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ACCOMPANIED A COLD FRONT AND 
DRYLINE ON THE EVENING OF THE 11TH. THE STORMS OCCURRED SOUTHEAST OF 
A LINE FROM ABILENE TO SAN ANGELO TO OZONA. DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL 
FELL AT A FEW LOCATIONS ACROSS THE HEARTLAND. SCATTERED LOCATIONS 
BETWEEN OZONA AND ELM GROVE RECEIVED AROUND ONE INCH OF RAIN...WHILE
LIGHTER AMOUNTS OCCURRED ELSEWHERE.  

OTHER UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEMS BROUGHT SHOWERS AND STORMS TO
PARTS OF THE REGION ON SEVERAL OTHER DAYS DURING THE MONTH.     

A HIGH WIND EVENT OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 14TH
ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. ALTHOUGH ONLY 
SCATTERED SHOWERS OCCURRED DURING THIS TIME...THE TURBULENCE FROM
THESE SHOWERS BROUGHT STRONG WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE. A PEAK
WIND GUST OF 58 MPH WAS RECORDED IN SAN ANGELO...WITH 44 MPH RECORDED
IN ABILENE. 

STRONG GUSTY WINDS ALSO OCCURRED ON THE 15TH...IN RESPONSE TO A 
STORM SYSTEM DEEPENING AS IT EXITED THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. PEAK WIND 
GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH WERE RECORDED IN ABILENE...SAN ANGELO AND 
JUNCTION.

MUCH COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND A PERSISTENT LOW CLOUDCOVER
OCCURRED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE 
MONTH. ALTHOUGH NO RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES WERE SET...HIGH 
TEMPERATURES WERE ONLY IN THE 40S ON A FEW DAYS. THESE HIGHS WERE 
25 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE TIME OF YEAR.