Volume 17 Number 4                                                                                                                                           April 2004

 

          The month of April was very eventful for the state of Texas.  Temperatures in West Texas were about a degree below normal, while temperatures in most of East Texas were a little above normal.  Precipitation was above normal for 15 of the 19 first-order stations.  Lubbock, Midland, Victoria, and Waco had over 200% of their normal precipitation; Abilene had over 300%; and Corpus Christi and El Paso received over 400%.  Impressive totals for the month included San Antonio (5.02”), Abilene (5.03”), Houston (5.56”), Victoria (6.29”), Waco (8.46”), and Corpus Christi (9.21”).

          Severe weather was very prominent across the state during the month.  During the first week, a low pressure system slowly made its way across the state dropping large hail throughout Texas.  The largest reports topped 4 inches in Reeves County on April 2nd and in Brewster County on April 5th.  On the 6th, the same system caused five tornadoes in the Upper Coast region near Victoria.  A cold front moved over the southern portion of the state on the 8th-10th and brought several more reports of hail including 4.25” in Montgomery County on the 10th.  Easter weekend saw winter-like temperatures and wet weather across the state.

          Following the passage of the cold front, a high pressure system moved over the state.  Temperatures warmed up to the upper 70s and 80s during the second week, and only a trace of rain fell in the first-order stations between the 12th and the 16th.  The end of the week also saw the first 90 degree temperatures in the state.

          More severe weather hit on the week of the 19th as a cold front brought heavy rains to the state.  Four tornadoes occurred in the Low Rolling Plains between Abilene and Wichita Falls on the 23rd.  On the 24th and 25th, San Antonio and Victoria had over 1” of rain, College Station received 2.49”, Waco recorded 4.91” of precipitation, and Corpus Christi shattered a record with 6.18” on the 25th.  This was over 2 inches more than the previous record, set back in 1966.  The month ended in fitting fashion as a low pressure system caused two tornadoes, one near San Angelo and the other near Wichita Falls, as well as several hail and wind reports.  The largest hail fell in Coleman Country and was measured at 4.25” in diameter.

          For the entire month, there were 17 tornadoes reported, 46 wind reports, and 290 hail reports.  Of those reports, 10 of the wind reports were above 65 knots (75 mph), and 28 of the hail reports were larger than 2 inches in diameter.

 

Michael Hammer (Undergraduate Assistant)

 

 

APRIL 2004

 


* Based on 1971-2000 normals

* Complete temperature data were unavailable.  Temperatures are rounded to the nearest whole degree.

* HDD - Heating degree-day: Refer to the Monthly Average chart for a definition                                                           T = Trace (<0.005")

* CDD - Cooling degree-day: Refer to the Monthly Average chart for a definition                                           M:  Information not available.

 


 

CLIMATIC AVERAGES FOR MAY

 


Records are at the current site, other records may have occurred at previous sites.

*CDD - Cooling degree-day:  The difference between the mean individual daily temperature and 65°F, with one

CDD resulting for each degree above the standard 65°F during one day.

*HDD - Heating degree-day:  The difference between the mean individual daily temperature and 65°F, with one

HDD resulting for each degree below the standard 65°F during one day.

 

 

 

Past Weather Events in May

 

May 15, 1896:  Tornadoes, Sherman, Grayson, County; Justin, Denton County; Gribble Springs, Cooke County; 76 killed; damage $225,000.

 

May 30, 1909:  Tornado. Zephyr, Brown County; 28 killed, many injured; damage $90,000.

 

May 7, 1919:  Windstorms.  Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron Counties.  Violent thunderstorms with high winds, hail and rain occurred between Rio Grande City and the coast, killing 10 persons.  Damage to property and crops was $500,000.  Seven were killed at Mission.

 

May 24-31, 1929:  Rainstorm.  Beginning over Caldwell County, a storm spread over much of Central and Coastal Texas with maximum rainfall of 12.9 inches, causing floods in Colorado, Guadalupe, Brazos, Trinity, Neches, and Sabine rivers.  Much damage at Houston from overflow of bayous.  Damage estimated at $6 million.

 

May 11, 1953:  Tornado.  Waco, McLennan County; 114 killed, 597 injured; damage $41,150,000.  One of two most disastrous tornadoes; 150 homes destroyed, 900 homes damaged; 185 other buildings destroyed; 500 other buildings damaged.

 

May 11, 1970:  Tornado.  Lubbock, Lubbock County.  Twenty-six killed, 500 injured; damage $135 million.  Fifteen square miles, almost one-quarter of the city of Lubbock, suffered damage.

 

May 5, 1995:  A thunderstorm moved across the Dallas/Fort Worth area with 70 mph wind gusts and rainfall rates of almost 3 inches in 30 minutes (5 inches in 1 hour).  Twenty people lost their lives as a result of this storm, 109 people were injured by large hail and, with more than $2 billion in damage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dubbed it the "costliest thunderstorm event in history."

 

May 27, 1997:  A half-mile-wide F5 tornado struck Jarrell (Williamson Co.), leveling the Double Creek subdivision, claiming 27 lives, injuring 12 others, and causing more than $40 million in damage.

 

 

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

Kelsey Curtiss (Graduate Assistant)

Michael Hammer (Undergraduate Assistant)