WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1050 PM CST FRI APR 02 2004

...A SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED 
IN EARLY MARCH...
...TENTH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO...

MARCH TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS 
WHILE PRECIPITATION VARIED FROM ABOVE TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION IN MARCH WAS ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS CENTRAL AND 
SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. IN THE BIG COUNTRY
THE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION WAS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.  

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 59.8 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 56.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH WAS
1.29 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.12 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF
1.41 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
MARCH WAS 61.4 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 57.2 DEGREES. THIS MARKS THE TENTH 
WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR
MARCH WAS 1.70 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.71 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY
NORMAL OF 0.99 INCHES.


...MARCH 2004 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

A WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 
4TH...AS A VERY POWERFUL UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVED INTO WESTERN 
TEXAS FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. UNSTABLE AIR...STRONG LIFT AND VERY 
FAVORABLE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WITH THIS SYSTEM SET THE STAGE FOR A 
SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IN TEXAS. ON THE EARLY MORNING OF THE 4TH...
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN TEXAS ORGANIZED INTO AN 
EXTENSIVE NORTH TO SOUTH SQUALL LINE. THE ENTIRE SQUALL LINE 
INTENSIFIED AND RACED EASTWARD ACROSS ALL OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...
IN A TIME SPAN OF ABOUT THREE HOURS.  

THE SQUALL LINE PRODUCED DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO 80 MPH...AND 
WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. IN ADDITION...SEVERAL STORMS 
WITHIN THE SQUALL LINE PRODUCED TORNADOES. STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS 
CONFIRMED THAT TORNADOES STRUCK IN THE VICINITIES OF: 

LAKE SWEETWATER (F1)
BRADSHAW (F0)
TUSCOLA (F1)
POTOSI (F0)
TEN MILES SOUTHEAST OF HASKELL (F2) 
MORAN (F0). 

THE VALUES IN PARENTHESES ARE THE TORNADO RATINGS BASED ON THE 
FUJITA TORNADO DAMAGE SCALE.  

IN ALL...A TOTAL OF 41 SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE RECEIVED...
FROM NEARLY EVERY COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. 

.....................................................................

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH...SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE 11TH AND 12TH...AS AN UPPER LEVEL 
STORM SYSTEM EASTWARD MOVED INTO WESTERN TEXAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OCCURRED ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN 
SECTIONS. OVER THE BIG COUNTRY THE AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY ONE 
QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH. WITH UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE REGION...
A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE 14TH. A SMALL
CLUSTER OF SEVERE STORMS OVER FAR SOUTHERN CROCKETT COUNTY 
PRODUCED LARGE HAIL (UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE) WHICH COVERED THE
GROUND. A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVED RAINFALL AMOUNTS AROUND ONE
HALF INCH ON THE 14TH.

LATER IN THE MONTH...A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVED SOUTHWARD 
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE FRONT OCCURRED FROM THE EVENING OF THE 20TH INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 21ST. SEVERAL OF THE STORMS WERE 
SEVERE AND PRODUCED LARGE HAIL. UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 
OCCURRED IN FISHER COUNTY NEAR AND NORTH OF ROSCOE. THE HAIL 
COVERED THE GROUND 12 MILES NORTH OF ROSCOE. GOLFBALL SIZE 
HAIL ALSO OCCURRED AT ALBANY IN SHACKELFORD COUNTY. HAIL TO 
QUARTER SIZE OCCURRED IN MCCULLOCH COUNTY NORTH OF BRADY.
SCATTERED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OCCURRED WITH 
THE STRONGER STORMS IN THE BIG COUNTRY AND HEARTLAND.
SCATTERED LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS RECEIVED AROUND ONE INCH OF RAIN. 

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED THE BIG COUNTRY AND 
NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS OF THE 27TH.
SCATTERED LOCATIONS RECEIVED ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN. 

AFTER A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ON THE 28TH...A PERIOD OF 
PLEASANT TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITY OCCURRED ON THE LAST
FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH...AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLED OVER THE 
REGION.

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