WFO San Angelo Climatology

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1135 AM CDT MON OCT 2 2000

...SEPTEMBER BROUGHT RECORD HEAT AND RECORD COLD TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH 
DRY CONDITIONS PERSISTING...
 
SEPTEMBER WAS MARKED BY RECORD HEAT EARLY IN THE MONTH AND RECORD COLD LATE IN
THE MONTH. A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER WAS ESTABLISHED IN 
ABILENE. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE MONTH WAS DRY...THUNDERSTORMS ON A FEW DAYS 
BROUGHT MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. 

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER WAS 78.6
DEGREES. THIS WAS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL FOR 
ABILENE WAS 1.08 INCHES...AND THIS WAS 2.13 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF
3.21 INCHES. 

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER WAS 78.4
DEGREES. THIS WAS 3.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL FOR SAN 
ANGELO WAS ONLY 0.58 INCH...AND THIS WAS 2.83 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL 
OF 3.41 INCHES.  

...SEPTEMBER 2000 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

RECORD HEAT OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY PART OF SEPTEMBER AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
OF HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUED TO DOMINATE THE WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER. SEVERAL 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE SET IN ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO. IN ABILENE...A NEW
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER OF 107 DEGREES WAS SET ON THE 5TH. THIS 
SURPASSED THE OLD RECORD HIGH OF 106 DEGREES...SET JUST ONE DAY EARLIER AND ON 
SEPTEMBER 1 1952. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN SAN ANGELO ON THE 5TH WAS 106 
DEGREES...JUST ONE DEGREE SHORT OF THE MONTHLY RECORD HIGH OF 107 DEGREES...
SET ON SEPTEMBER 1 1952. 

THE RECORD HEAT WAS BROUGHT TO AN END WHEN A COLD FRONT MOVED SOUTH ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS ON THE EVENING OF THE 12TH. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ALONG
AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL TO PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS. THE HEAVIEST RAIN OCCURRED AT SPOTTY LOCATIONS WEST AND NORTH OF 
ABILENE...AND SOUTH AND EAST OF SAN ANGELO...WHERE 3 TO 4 INCHES FELL. ALTHOUGH
1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS FELL AT SCATTERED LOCATIONS ACROSS MOST OF WEST CENTRAL 
TEXAS...THE CONCHO VALLEY RECEIVED LITTLE OR NO RAIN.   

ABILENE RECEIVED MEASURABLE RAIN (0.37 INCH) ON THE 12TH...ENDING THEIR SECOND
LONGEST DRY SPELL ON RECORD. THIS DRY SPELL SPANNED 72 DAYS...EXTENDING FROM 
JUNE 29 TO SEPTEMBER 12. THIS WAS JUST ONE DAY SHORT OF THE LONGEST DRY PERIOD
ON RECORD FOR ABILENE (73 DAYS)...WHICH OCCURRED FROM JUNE 2 THROUGH AUGUST 13 
1970.       

IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN...SEVERAL STORMS ON THE EVENING OF THE 12THBROUGHT 
SEVERE WEATHER TO THE BIG COUNTRY. WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH DOWNED NUMEROUS TREES 
AND POWER LINES IN THE TOWN OF VIEW IN TAYLOR COUNTY. SEVERAL LARGE HAIL 
REPORTS RANGING FROM NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE WERE RECEIVED. 

A STRONG COLD FRONT LATE IN THE MONTH BROUGHT SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN...ALONG 
WITH SHARPLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED 
ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT AS IT MOVED SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS LATE
ON THE 24TH AND 25TH. SEVERE STORMS OVER RUNNELS COUNTY PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE
HAIL IN ROWENA...AND DOWNED POWER LINES IN MILES...ON THE EVENING OF THE 24TH. 

SOME LOCATIONS FROM SAN ANGELO NORTHWARD RECEIVED 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN FROM 
THIS SYSTEM. OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...SCATTERED LOCATIONS
RECEIVED 1 TO 3 INCH AMOUNTS. THE HEAVIEST RAIN FELL OVER MASON AND KIMBLE 
COUNTIES...WHERE A FEW LOCATIONS RECEIVED 3 TO 5 INCHES. MEASURABLE RAIN AT THE
SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT (0.46 INCH) ON THE 24TH ENDED A 59-DAY DRY SPELL.  

QUITE COOL AIR RESIDED OVER THE REGION FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS FOLLOWING THE 
FRONTAL PASSAGE...AND RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE 26TH AT ABILENE 
AND SAN ANGELO. THE RECORD LOW OF 39 DEGREES AT ABILENE WAS JUST ONE DEGREE 
SHORT OF THE MONTHLY RECORD LOW FOR SEPTEMBER...WHICH WAS 38 DEGREES SET ON 
SEPTEMBER 24 1989.  

LESS SIGNIFICANT SPOTTY SHOWERS OCCURRED SOUTH AND EAST OF SAN ANGELO ON THE 
13TH...14TH...AND 15TH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY LESS THAN 1 INCH.