WFO San Angelo Climatology

ZCZC LBBPNSSJT
TTAA00 KSJT 041157

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
657 AM CDT TUE JUN 4 2002
 
...SAN ANGELO RECORDED ITS EIGHTH DRIEST MAY...

MAY WAS HIGHLIGHTED BY NUMEROUS SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS 
ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. RAINFALL FOR
THE MONTH VARIED CONSIDERABLY ACROSS THE REGION. MUCH OF THE
BIG COUNTRY AND HEARTLAND EXPERIENCED NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL
RAINFALL...WHILE MOST OF THE CONCHO VALLEY AND SOUTHERN 
SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS RECEIVED AMOUNTS WHICH WERE
WELL BELOW NORMAL.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 
72.1 DEGREES. THIS WAS 0.7 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURE OF 72.8 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MAY WAS 3.42
INCHES. THIS WAS 0.41 INCHES ABOVE THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 3.01 INCHES.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS
76.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 73.1 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MAY WAS JUST 
0.45 INCHES. THIS WAS 2.64 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 3.09 
INCHES. THIS MARKS THE 8TH DRIEST MAY ON RECORD FOR SAN ANGELO. 


MAY 2002 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

MAY IS TYPICALLY ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER MONTHS IN 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. NUMEROUS SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED THIS
MAY...MAINLY IN THE EARLY AND LATE PARTS OF THE MONTH. 

WITH HOT WEATHER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH...SAN ANGELO AND 
ABILENE SET NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE 1ST.

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 
3RD ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...HEARTLAND AND NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY. 
SEVERAL STORMS PRODUCED LARGE HAIL. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL FELL AT NOVICE
IN CALLAHAN COUNTY...AND TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED 3 MILES
NORTH OF MAY IN BROWN COUNTY. HEAVY RAIN ALSO ACCOMPANIED THE STORMS.
THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL (TWO TO FOUR INCHES) OCCURRED IN A WEST TO EAST
BAND EXTENDING ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY...SOUTHERN BIG 
BIG COUNTRY...AND THE FAR NORTHERN HEARTLAND.

A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON THE EVENING AND EARLY
NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 4TH. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE INTERACTED
WITH UNSTABLE AIR AND A WARM FRONT MOVING NORTH ACROSS THE REGION 
TO TRIGGER NUMEROUS STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A LARGE SUPERCELL 
STORM PRODUCED TORNADOES...VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND FLASH 
FLOODING AS IT TRACKED EASTWARD FROM SAN ANGELO ACROSS CONCHO...
NORTHERN MCCULLOCH AND SAN SABA COUNTIES. TORNADOES WERE SIGHTED IN 
EASTERN TOM GREEN...CONCHO AND MCCULLOCH COUNTIES. TENNIS BALL TO 
SOFTBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. 

SEVERAL SEVERE STORMS TRACKED EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN BIG COUNTRY.
A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED JUST EAST OF ROBY...AND BASEBALL SIZE HAIL 
WAS REPORTED AROUND ROSCOE. NUMEROUS OTHER SEVERE STORMS ALSO OCCURRED 
ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. IN ALL...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO RECEIVED FOURTY REPORTS OF 
SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING FROM THIS EVENT. FORTUNATELY...THE SEVERE 
WEATHER DID NOT CAUSE ANY FATALITIES OR INJURIES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 
ONE TO THREE INCHES OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF THE BIG COUNTRY SOUTH OF 
A HASKELL TO THROCKMORTON LINE. ONE TO THREE INCH RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
ALSO ACCOMPANIED THE SUPERCELL STORM WHICH TRACKED EAST OF SAN ANGELO.

SEVERE STORMS OCCURRED OVER THE BIG COUNTRY AND NORTHWEST CONCHO 
VALLEY ON THE EVENING OF THE 7TH...DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF A DRYLINE
AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. TORNADOES WERE REPORTED AT HAWLEY IN 
JONES COUNTY...AND 9 MILES SOUTH OF SWEETWATER. BASEBALL SIZE HAIL
OCCURRED AT MARYNEAL...AND GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT SEVERAL
LOCATIONS...INCLUDING ABILENE. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OF 2 TO 3.5 
INCHES FELL IN A BAND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM STERLING CITY TO 
ABILENE.

SEVERE STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL OCCURRED OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN 
SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE EVENING OF THE 9TH...AS A 
DRYLINE ADVANCED EASTWARD INTO THE REGION. BASEBALL SIZE HAIL 
OCCURRED NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF LAKE BROWNWOOD...AND CAUSED AN INJURY. 
IN ADDITION...BASEBALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED SOUTHWEST OF MAY IN BROWN 
COUNTY. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT A FEW OTHER LOCATIONS 
ACROSS THE HEARTLAND. SCATTERED LOCATIONS OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS RECEIVED ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN. A FEW 
LOCATIONS RECEIVED THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OF TWO TO THREE INCHES.  

DRY WEATHER PERSISTED DURING THE MIDDLE OF MAY WITH A LACK OF 
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...DESPITE THE PASSAGE OF A COUPLE OF FAIRLY 
STRONG COLD FRONTS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. WITHIN A FEW DAYS AFTER ONE 
OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGES...A RECORD-TYING LOW TEMPERATURE OCCURRED IN 
ABILENE ON THE 19TH.

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRED AGAIN LATE IN THE MONTH...OVER 
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND (FRI MAY 24TH THROUGH MON MAY 27TH). 

THE SEVERE WEATHER WAS CONCENTRATED OVER THE BIG COUNTRY AND NORTHEAST 
CONCHO VALLEY ON THE EVENING AND NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 24TH...AS A 
COLD FRONT APPROACHED FROM THE NORTH AND INTERACTED WITH A VERY 
UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION. BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS WERE 
REPORTED NEAR HAPPY VALLEY AND 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF BALLINGER. WIND 
DAMAGE AND BASEBALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED IN WINTERS. GOLFBALL TO 
BASEBALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED IN SWEETWATER. WIND DAMAGE AND GOLFBALL 
SIZE HAIL WERE REPORTED 15 MILES SOUTH OF MERKEL. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 
WAS ALSO REPORTED IN NOLAN...CREWS...BALLINGER...AND NEAR ABILENE. A 
TOTAL OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN LARGE HAIL REPORTS WERE RECEIVED FROM THIS 
EVENT. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ALSO ACCOMPANIED THE STORMS...AND SCATTERED 
LOCATIONS RECEIVED 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN. 

THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE CONCHO VALLEY AND 
HEARTLAND ON THE 25TH...AS THE COLD FRONT CONTINUED TO PRESS SLOWLY 
SOUTH. LARGE HAIL TO QUARTER SIZE WAS REPORTED IN PARTS OF SHACKELFORD 
AND BROWN COUNTIES. THE STORMS ALSO CONTAINED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. 
THREE TO SIX INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN A BAND EXTENDING FROM GARDEN CITY 
TO BALLINGER TO BRADY AND VOCA. THREE TO SIX INCHES ALSO FELL OVER THE 
NORTHEASTERN EDGE OF BROWN COUNTY. THE HEAVY RAIN CAUSED FLASH 
FLOODING IN NORTHWESTERN MCCULLOCH COUNTY. 

SEVERAL SEVERE STORMS OCCURRED ON THE NIGHTTIME HOURS OF THE 
26TH...MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN BIG COUNTRY. BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS 
WERE REPORTED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARYNEAL AND 8 MILES EAST OF 
BLACKWELL. THE LARGEST HAIL REPORT WAS QUARTER SIZE (ROSCOE AND 12 
MILES SOUTH OF ROSCOE). A 65 MPH WIND GUST WAS REPORTED IN THE TOWN OF 
VIEW. A FEW STORMS BETWEEN ROSCOE AND ABILENE DEPOSITED 2.5 TO 4.5 
INCHES OF RAIN.

WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF THE 
28TH (MEMORIAL DAY) ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...AS A POTENT 
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHED AND INTERACTED WITH A VERY UNSTABLE 
AIRMASS. THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF SEVERE WEATHER WAS OVER THE 
NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND. A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 5 MILES 
NORTHEAST OF ROBERT LEE. BASEBALL SIZE HAIL FELL AT PAINT ROCK AND 12 
MILES SOUTH OF ROBERT LEE. TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED NEAR THE 
TOWNS OF TENNYSON AND ORIENT. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT A FEW 
LOCATIONS...INCLUDING SAN ANGELO. IN ADDITION...WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH 
WERE REPORTED 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PLACID (MCCULLOCH COUNTY) AND AT 
ROBERT LEE. A TOTAL OF OVER TWO DOZEN SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE 
RECEIVED. ALONG WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER...HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRED 
ESPECIALLY NORTH OF A STERLING CITY TO SAN ANGELO TO SAN SABA LINE. 
SCATTERED LOCATIONS RECEIVED AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 3 TO 5.5 INCHES.