National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Powerful Storms to Impact the Western U.S. and Northern Plains

A strong, long-duration atmospheric river will bring excessive rainfall, flash flooding, and very strong winds to southwest Oregon and northwest California through Thursday. A High Risk (level 4 of 4) of Excessive Rainfall has been issued. A storm system over the northern Plains will produce locally heavy snow in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Read More >

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1058 AM CDT THU JUN 1 2000

...MAY 2000 WAS THE WARMEST MAY ON RECORD IN ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO...

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD FOR BOTH 
ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO. A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 
ESTABLISHED IN ABILENE...AND THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 
TIED IN SAN ANGELO. UNUSUALLY HOT CONDITIONS PREVAILED ACROSS WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY...BUT THUNDERSTORMS ON A FEW 
DAYS BROUGHT MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. 

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE IN ABILENE WAS 79.4 DEGREES...WHICH WAS 
6.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD WARM AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE FOR MAY OF 79.2 DEGREES SET IN 1998. IN SAN ANGELO...THE 
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 81.1 DEGREES...WHICH WAS 6.9 DEGREES 
ABOVE NORMAL. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD WARM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 
FOR MAY OF 80.7 DEGREES SET IN 1996.     

RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS ONCE AGAIN BELOW NORMAL AT ABILENE AND SAN 
ANGELO...BUT MUCH NEEDED RAIN FELL ON A COUPLE OF DAYS. AT ABILENE 
REGIONAL AIRPORT...TOTAL RAINFALL FOR MAY WAS 2.60 INCHES...WHICH WAS 
0.37 INCH BELOW NORMAL. AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL  AIRPORT...THE TOTAL 
RAINFALL FOR MAY WAS 2.21 INCHES...WHICH WAS 0.79 INCH BELOW NORMAL. AT 
ABILENE...2.19 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON THE 19TH. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME 
THAT MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD SINCE OCTOBER 
29TH AND 30TH OF LAST YEAR. IN SAN ANGELO...1.01 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON 
THE 18TH...FOLLOWED BY 1.20 INCHES ON THE 19TH. THE LAST TIME MORE THAN 
AN INCH OF RAIN FELL IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD FOR SAN ANGELO WAS ON JUNE 6TH 
AND 7TH OF LAST YEAR. 

...MAY 2000 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

ON MAY 24TH...THE TEMPERATURE AT ABILENE SOARED TO 109 DEGREES. THIS 
SET A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH...SURPASSING THE OLD 
RECORD OF 107 DEGREES SET ON MAY 10 1967. ALSO ON THE 24TH...THE 
TEMPERATURE IN SAN ANGELO REACHED 109 DEGREES. THIS TIED THE RECORD 
HIGH FOR THE MONTH...WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED ON MAY 29 1927.

RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 100 DEGREES OR MORE OCCURRED ON A NUMBER OF 
DAYS...AS A HOT AND DRY AIRMASS RESIDED OVER THE REGION DURING MUCH OF 
MAY. THE TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 106 DEGREES AT ABILENE ON THE 6TH... 
7TH...16TH...AND 23RD. THE 106 DEGREE TEMPERATURE SET A NEW RECORD HIGH 
ON THE 6TH...7TH...AND 23RD...AND TIED A RECORD HIGH ON THE 16TH. A NEW 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS ALSO SET ON THE 24TH AND TIED ON THE 8TH. 

IN ALL...ABILENE RECORDED 7 DAYS WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 100 DEGREES 
OR MORE...WITH 20 DAYS OF 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE. THIS WAS FAR ABOVE THE 
NORMAL NUMBER OF 90 DEGREE DAYS...WHICH SHOULD ONLY BE 8. 

AT SAN ANGELO...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE 
7TH...23RD...AND 24TH...AND TIED ON THE 6TH. SAN ANGELO RECORDED 8 DAYS 
WITH HIGHS OF 100 DEGREES OR MORE. A TOTAL OF 24 DAYS WERE 90 DEGREES 
OR ABOVE...WELL ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 12.
 
ALTHOUGH MAY IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IS NORMALLY ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE 
MONTHS WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND SEVERE WEATHER...THE PERSISTENT HOT AND 
DRY CONDITIONS DURING THE MONTH REDUCED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.  NO 
RAIN FELL DURING THE FIRST 17 DAYS OF THE MONTH...BUT SEVERAL DAYS OF 
SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. 

A SEVERE STORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS MOVED OVER THE O.H. IVIE RESERVOIR 
ON THE EVENING OF THE 27TH...DURING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. THIS STORM 
RESULTED IN ONE FATALITY...SEVERAL INJURIES...AND OVERTURNED ABOUT A 
DOZEN BOATS. OTHER SEVERE STORMS ON THAT EVENING CAUSED IN WIND DAMAGE 
IN OZONA...AND BROUGHT GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN GRAPE CREEK...WITH QUARTER 
SIZE HAIL IN MILLERSVIEW AND 10 MILES NORTH OF JUNCTION. THE STORMS ON 
THE 27TH OCCURRED OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH 
THE MOST WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OVER THE HEARTLAND AND NORTHWEST HILL
COUNTRY.  SCATTERED LOCATIONS RECEIVED RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 
ONE TO THREE INCHES. 

ON THE EVENING OF THE 26TH...TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS OCCURRED IN HASKELL AND
THROCKMORTON COUNTIES. IN HASKELL COUNTY...A TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED 
DOWN IN THE TOWN OF HASKELL...BUT CAUSED VERY LITTLE DAMAGE. IN 
THROCKMORTON COUNTY...A TORNADO DOWNED SEVERAL TREES NEAR HIGHWAY 
380...ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF THROCKMORTON. BASEBALL SIZE HAIL WAS 
REPORTED 8 MILES NORTH OF THROCKMORTON...AND IN ELBERT. GOLFBALL SIZE 
HAIL OCCURRED IN THE TOWNS OF RULE AND ROCHESTER IN HASKELL COUNTY. THE 
STORMS ALSO BROUGH LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS 
RANGING FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES.    

ON THE 18TH...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 
STERLING CITY TO ABILENE...AS A COLD FRONT MOVED SOUTH INTO THE REGION. 
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL WERE RECEIVED. SOME OF THE LARGEST HAIL 
INCLUDED 3 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT WILLIAMS IN BROWN COUNTY...TENNIS BALL 
SIZE AT BURKETT IN COLEMAN COUNTY...AND 2.25 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN SAN ANGELO. THE STORMS ALSO BROUGHT 
LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN OVER THE HEARTLAND...EASTERN CONCHO VALLEY...AND 
PARTS OF THE NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY...AND ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN CROCKETT
AND SUTTON COUNTIES. SCATTERED LOCATIONS RECEIVED ONE TO TWO INCHES OF
RAIN...AND A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVED AMOUNTS RANGING FROM TWO TO FOUR 
INCHES. 

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED THROUGHOUT WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE
19TH...BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. THE HEAVIEST TOTALS OF THREE TO 
FOUR INCHES FELL AT A FEW LOCATIONS BETWEEN ABILENE AND BIG 
SPRING...AND BETWEEN OZONA AND SONORA. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN FELL 
AT NUMEROUS LOCATIONS. THE COVERAGE OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WAS MORE 
SCATTERED SOUTH OF A SAN ANGELO TO BROWNWOOD LINE...AND MORE WIDESPREAD 
TO THE NORTH. SEVERAL REPORTS OF DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL WERE 
RECEIVED IN TOM GREEN AND STERLING COUNTIES. 

THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED OVER SMALLER AREAS ON THE 21ST...22ND...AND 
26TH.

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