WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1011 PM CDT WED APR 5 2006

...TEMPERATURES AVERAGED ABOVE NORMAL AND PRECIPITATION VARIED
FROM ABOVE TO BELOW NORMAL IN MARCH...

PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH WAS ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS EASTERN
SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. SCATTERED LOCATIONS IN THE
WESTERN BIG COUNTRY AND IN CROCKETT...SUTTON AND KIMBLE
COUNTIES RECEIVED LESS THAN ONE INCH OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE
MONTH.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 60.2 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 56.4 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH WAS
2.61 INCHES. THIS WAS 1.20 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF
1.41 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR
MARCH WAS 60.9 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.7 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 57.2 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR
MARCH WAS 1.92 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.93 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY
NORMAL OF 0.99 INCHES.


MARCH 2006 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

TEMPERATURES WERE MUCH ABOVE NORMAL DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE
MONTH. RECORD HIGHS (IN THE MID 90S) WERE SET AT ABILENE AND SAN
ANGELO ON THE 1ST. RATHER DRY AIRMASSES OCCUPIED WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF MARCH. STRONG GUSTY WEST WINDS
ACCOMPANIED THE PASSAGE OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DURING
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OF THE 8TH AND 9TH. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED
51 MPH AT SAN ANGELO AND 44 MPH IN ABILENE.

A SEVERE WEATHER AND SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT OCCURRED IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. AS A DEEP STORM SYSTEM MOVED INTO THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES...MOISTURE INCREASED INTO WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS. AS THE STORM SYSTEM GRADUALLY APPROACHED THE REGION FROM
THE WEST...SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED
FROM THE 17TH TO 19TH. SEVERAL SEVERE STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL
OCCURRED...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU ON THE
19TH. ON THIS DATE A SUPERCELL STORM MOVED EAST ACROSS CROCKETT
AND SCHLEICHER COUNTIES. THIS STORM PRODUCED QUARTER TO TENNIS
BALL SIZE HAIL.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS FROM THIS EVENT BROUGHT BENEFICIAL
RAINFALL TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 3
INCHES WERE COMMON ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. AMOUNTS LESS THAN
ONE INCH WERE MORE PREVALENT ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHERN AND
WESTERN BIG COUNTRY...AND ACROSS IRION...SUTTON...WESTERN
CROCKETT...AND NORTHERN TOM GREEN COUNTIES.

AS THIS POTENT STORM SYSTEM EXITED THE REGION...STRONG GUSTY
WEST WINDS OCCURRED ON THE 20TH. PEAK WIND GUSTS REACHED 46
MPH AT ABILENE AND 48 MPH AT SAN ANGELO.

A CHILLY AIRMASS SETTLED INTO THE REGION FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER
THE DEPARTURE OF THIS STORM SYSTEM. LATE ON THE 22ND...ANOTHER
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED EAST INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. AN
AREA OF SHOWERS OCCURRED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...CONCHO VALLEY
AND HEARTLAND. AS TEMPERATURES DROPPED INTO THE 30S ON THE
NIGHT OF THE 22ND...THE RAIN MIXED WITH SOME SLEET AND LIGHT
SNOW AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS BEFORE ENDING. HIGH PRESSURE
SETTLED SOUTHWARD INTO TEXAS BEHIND THIS SYSTEM. WITH CLEAR
SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS...A FREEZE OCCURRED AREAWIDE ON THE
EARLY MORNING OF THE 24TH. LOW TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 20S.
A NEW RECORD LOW (23 DEGREES) WAS SET AT SAN ANGELO...AND THE
RECORD LOW OF 26 DEGREES WAS TIED AT ABILENE.

WITH AN AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ON THE 29TH...SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN TO
SCATTERED LOCATIONS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. A FEW LOCATIONS
RECEIVED OVER AN INCH OF RAIN.

$$