NOUS44 KSJT 040755
PNSSJT

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
255 AM CDT FRI JUN 4 2004

...PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW NORMAL WHILE TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 
SLIGHTLY BELOW TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN
MAY... 

MAY IS TYPICALLY A VERY ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER MONTH IN WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED THIS MAY...
MOST OF THE SEVERE WEATHER WAS CONCENTRATED IN THE THE BIG COUNTRY. 
PRECIPITATION WAS CONSIDERABLY BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH IN CENTRAL 
AND SOUTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.  

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 1.73 
INCHES. THIS WAS 1.10 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 2.83 
INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MAY WAS 
74.5 DEGREES. THIS WAS 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE OF 73.1 DEGREES. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR MAY WAS 0.86 
INCHES. THIS WAS 2.23 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 3.09 
INCHES. 


MAY 2004 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS DURING THE POST-MIDNIGHT HOURS OF THE 1ST. ALTHOUGH A FEW 
LOCATIONS RECEIVED OVER AN INCH...THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS
GENERALLY VARIED UNDER ONE INCH. A COOL AIRMASS INVADED WEST 
CENTRAL TEXAS AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY. WITH CONSIDERABLE 
CLOUDCOVER AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS...TEMPERATURES REACHED THE 60S 
FOR HIGHS ON THE 1ST. AS THE CLOUDS CLEARED AND WINDS SUBSIDED...
TEMPERATURES DROPPED INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S BY THE EARLY 
MORNING OF THE 2ND.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BROUGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO 
MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE 11TH. MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND
STORMS OCCURRED SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS. 
THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN 
CROCKETT AND SOUTHERN SUTTON COUNTIES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS 
OVER 5 INCHES IN EXTREME SOUTHERN CROCKETT COUNTY.   

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED NEAR A DRYLINE IN THE WESTERN BIG
COUNTRY ON THE LATE AFTERNOON OF THE 12TH. PENNY SIZE HAIL WAS
REPORTED IN RULE (HASKELL COUNTY).

A MORE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OCCURRED ON THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING OF THE 13TH. WITH VERY UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE REGION...
NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED. THE STORMS WERE 
CONCENTRATED ALONG A SOUTHWARD MOVING COLD FRONT IN THE BIG 
COUNTRY...AND NEAR A WESTWARD MOVING WEAK WEATHER BOUNDARY ACROSS 
THE HEARTLAND...NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY AND EASTERN CONCHO VALLEY.
OTHER STORMS DEVELOPED ALONG THE COLD FRONT LATER IN THE EVENING
IN SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. BRIEF TORNADOS OCCURRED
NEAR NEINDA (JONES COUNTY)...SEVEN MILES SOUTHWEST OF THROCKMORTON...
TWO MILES EAST OF HAWLEY (JONES COUNTY)...AND FOUR MILES SOUTH OF 
MASON. MOST OF THE SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS WERE LARGE HAIL...RANGING 
FROM NICKEL TO GOLFBALL SIZE. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL FELL FOR OVER 30 
MINUTES IN MASON COUNTY...8 MILES WEST OF MASON. THE LARGEST HAIL OF 
BASEBALL SIZE OCCURRED IN LOYAL VALLEY (MASON COUNTY). 

IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER...VERY HEAVY RAIN ACCOMPANIED THE 
STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO THREE INCHES OCCURRED AT SCATTERED
LOCATIONS EAST OF A LINE FROM HASKELL TO NOLAN TO EDEN...AND 
SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM EDEN TO OZONA. A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVED 
OVER THREE INCHES...INCLUDING HEXT (4.15 INCHES) AND EIGHT MILES 
NORTHWEST OF MASON (3.60 INCHES). FLASH FLOODING OF ROADS WAS 
REPORTED IN HASKELL AND MASON COUNTIES...AND STREET FLOODING 
OCCURRED IN ABILENE.

A FEW SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED LATE IN THE MONTH. 

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY ON 
THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF THE 25TH. WITH UNSTABLE AIR OVER 
THE REGION...A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH...AND A DRYLINE 
APPROACHING FROM THE WEST...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED AND 
MOVED EAST ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...AND SEVERAL STORMS BECAME 
SEVERE. THE LARGEST HAIL OF GOLFBALL SIZE OCCURRED SIX MILES 
SOUTHEAST OF SWEETWATER. PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED FROM 
THE REST OF THE SEVERE STORMS. HEAVY RAIN ALSO ACCOMPANIED THE 
STORMS. SCATTERED ONE TO TWO INCH AMOUNTS OCCURRED MAINLY IN THE 
WESTERN BIG COUNTRY...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. AN AMOUNT OF 3.19 
INCHES WAS REPORTED IN HAMLIN. LOCALIZED FLOODING OCCURRED ON 
INTERSTATE 20...SIX MILES WEST OF ABILENE.

A FEW SEVERE STORMS AFFECTED THE WESTERN BIG COUNTRY ON THE EVENING 
OF THE 26TH. A COUPLE OF BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS WERE REPORTED 4 
MILES WEST OF ROBY IN FISHER COUNTY. TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL OCCURRED 
IN FISHER COUNTY WHILE GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN JONES 
COUNTY.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND DRYLINE BROUGHT SEVERE 
STORMS...INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES...ON THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF 
THE 27TH. MOST OF THE SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRED IN THE BIG COUNTRY. A 
TORNADO NEAR CHAMPION (NOLAN COUNTY) SNAPPED POWER POLES...DESTROYED 
A BARN...AND DAMAGED IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT. BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS 
OCCURRED 5 MILES SOUTH OF ROSCOE (NOLAN COUNTY)...AND ON THE EAST 
SIDE OF MERKEL (TAYLOR COUNTY). A COMBINATION OF 80 MPH WINDS AND 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES AND 
BUSINESSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SWEETWATER. WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH 
WERE REPORTED IN BARNHART AND MAY...AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL WAS 
REPORTED 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF OZONA.    

ON THE 31ST...THE DRYLINE HAD ADVANCED INTO FAR EASTERN SECTIONS OF 
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS IS WELL EAST OF ITS TYPICAL POSITION FOR
THE END OF MAY. THIS ALLOWED VERY DRY AIR TO MOVE INTO THE
REGION. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROPPED INTO THE 5 TO 10 PERCENT RANGE
ACROSS THE CONCHO VALLEY...NORTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU...AND PARTS OF
THE NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 100 
DEGREES AT SAN ANGELO FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR. JUNCTION 
RECORDED TWO DAYS AT THE END OF MAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 
100 DEGREES OR GREATER. 

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