Easterwood Field

College Station, Texas


Monthly Summary for March 1998


	TEMPERATURE      PRECIP.                       TEMPERATURE

  Day   Max  Min  *DEPART   TOTAL         MEANS           ACTUAL        DEPART.

   1    61   31    -10                    Maximum           68.5         -2.5
   2    63   33     -8                    Minimum           47.0         -2.7
   3    59   36    -10	                  Monthly	    57.7         -2.6
   4    73   52      6                                  
   5    82   56     12                    EXTREMES           TEMP         DATE
                                          Highest            85F          30th
   6    56   51     -3                    Lowest             31F          1st,10th
   7    62   50     -2      0.05                       
   8    55   39    -11      0.09          DEGREE DAYS       TOTAL        DEPART.
   9    54   34    -14                    Heating            276           79
  10    53   31    -17                    Cooling             51            0
                                          
  11    61   32    -13                     
  12    48   35    -17      0.07          PRECIPITATION      AMOUNT      DEPART.  
  13    57   42    -10      0.04          
  14    63   52     -3      0.30          Total Monthly        2.43      -0.15
  15    67   57      2      0.01          Total for 1998      11.47       3.62
                                          Precipitation Days     11          4
  16    73   51      1      1.41      
  17    72   49     -1      0.01          EXTREMES           AMOUNT      DATE 
  18    81   51      5                    24-hour Maximum      1.42      15th,16th
  19    68   44     -5      0.03   
  20    59   38    -13                    MAXIMUM WIND GUST    36mph    (30th)

  21    65   36    -12                    NUMBER OF DAYS      AMOUNT     DEPART.
  22    71   34     -9                    TEMPERATURE
  23    79   42     -1                    Maximum 90 or higher    0        0
  24    80   50      3                    Maximum 32 or lower     0        0
  25    79   61      7                    Minimum 32 or lower     3        1

  26    81   65     10                           RECORD BOOK FOR MARCH**
  27    79   61      7      0.20          Highest Temperature     94F    1971
  28    82   68     11                    Lowest Temperature      19F    1980
  29    84   68     12                    Wettest Month         6.07"    1980
  30    85   59      8      0.22          Driest Month          0.29"    1971
  31    72   48     -4       T            Wettest 24 hours      4.20"    1980
  


Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
Precipitation in inches
"T" denotes less than or equal to 0.005"
BOLDFACE indicates extreme values for the month
ITALICS indicate a record was set or tied
* Departure of the daily mean temperature, as calculated from the average
of the maximum and minimum temperatures, from the 1961-1990 normals.
** Based on records (1952-present)













New Records Set*

  DAY             PARAMETER                   VALUE    OLD RECORD       YEAR
  11     Lowest Minimum Temperature            32F        34F           1983  



Near Records*

  DAY             PARAMETER                   VALUE      RECORD         YEAR
  1    4th Lowest Minimum Temperature-Tied     31F        24F           1980
  2    4th Lowest Minimum Temperature          33F        19F           1980
  5    4th Highest Maximum Temperature         82F        89F           1991
  8    4th Lowest Maximum Temperature          55F        45F           1978
  9    4th Lowest Maximum Temperature          54F        47F           1994
  9    4th Lowest Minimum Temperature-Tied     34F        27F           1996
  10   2nd Lowest Maximum Temperature          53F        48F           1969
  10   2nd Lowest Minimum Temperature-Tied     31F        23F           1996
  12   3rd Lowest Maximum Temperature          48F        42F           1970
  12   2nd Lowest Minimum Temperature-Tied     35F        34F           1983
  22   4th Lowest Minimum Temperature          34F        31F           1970
  26   4th Highest Maximum Temperature-Tied    81F        83F           1956
  26   3rd Highest Minimum Temperature-Tied    65F        70F           1991
  28   2nd Highest Minimum Temperature-Tied    68F        71F           1985
  29   3rd Highest Minimum Temperature         68F        72F           1985
  30   4th Highest Maximum Temperature-Tied    68F        72F           1985

*Note: All records are based on observations taken at Easterwood Field (1952-present)

Monthly Review

After five straight months of above normal precipitation in the Brazos Valley, the total for March fell just short of the normal amount despite eleven precipitation days throughout the month. Negative departures of mean monthly temperatures were also present, breaking the warmer than normal conditions of January and February. Large amounts of variability in the daily temperatures produced near records in each of the four temperature categories (lowest and highest max, lowest and highest min). Daily maximum and minimum temperatures fell within either the upper or lower decile 17 times throughout the month.

Also with regards to the extreme temperatures, there were eleven days observing minimum temperatures less than 40F, and eight days observing maximum temperatures less than 60F. These figures represent the highest number of days since 1965 and 1969 respectively on which these temperatures were observed in March. 

April Normals for College Station

                           Temperature
Beginning of the month       75 / 54         Monthly Precipitation:      3.38"
Middle of the month          78 / 58         Precipitation days:            7
End of the month             81 / 62         90F Days                       1


Prepared by:    John F. Griffiths (State Climatologist)
                Brian N. Belcher (Assistant to the State Climatologist)
                belcher@tamu.edu