Volume 13 Number 8                                                                                  AUGUST 2000

August continued the hot and dry pattern that has developed over the summer. With the exception of Brownsville, every first-order station in Texas recorded greater-than-normal mean monthly temperatures. Wichita Falls was the hottest station in the state with an average maximum temperature of 104.2 degrees (8.3 degrees above normal) and an average monthly temperature of 90.3 degrees (6.7 degrees above normal). On the 31^st, two stations (College Station, 109, Port Arthur, 108) broke and three more (Corpus Christi, 103, Galveston, 100, Houston, 107) tied their all-time August maximum temperature records.

Again, with the exception of Brownsville, every first-order station in Texas received significantly less-than-normal precipitation. Abilene, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Angelo, and Wichita Falls all recorded no rainfall for the month (as did Shreveport, LA). This has further pushed the state into severe drought conditions. According to the Palmer Drought Severity Index (from the Climate Prediction Center, NOAA), far West Texas and the Edwards Plateau region are both classified as Extreme Drought areas. The Panhandle and the Lower Valley are classified as Moderate Drought areas, while the rest of the state is experiencing Severe Drought conditions. However, these conditions are not predicted to worsen as the Climate Prediction Center has forecasted near-normal precipitation for September through November.

Only one cold front entered Texas during August, reaching just north of Dallas/Fort Worth on the 18^th and 19^th before moving out of the state. During the remainder of the month, high pressure air masses dominated the weather patterns. Air descends and warms in areas of high pressure, keeping the skies relatively clear and effectively preventing the formation of widespread showers and thunderstorms. As August continued, the lack of rain caused ground moisture to steadily decrease, allowing the energy from the sun to warm the earth rather than evaporate water. This resulted in the extreme high temperatures experienced towards the end of the month, which climaxed on the 31^st when eight stations set or tied maximum temperature records.

Kerry Meyer (Undergraduate Assistant)
 
 

* 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.

Towards the end of July and into the beginning of August, the Texas corn crop was expected to be a success despite little precipitation and swelteringly high temperatures. "This is an exceptionally good crop," Bill Buxkemper, Extension agent in Hill County exclaimed. "These are among the best yields I have seen in the past 30 years." Jett Major, district Extension director in Lubbock, said the corn crop is in good condition, and high yields are expected when harvest begins in September. "Hot, sunny weather is accelerating the crop quickly through the dough stage, as the grains harden and the plants dry down," he said. "But the corn is well pollinated, and the yield potential looks good." Dr. Bob Robinson, district Extension director in Amarillo, said range conditions vary from poor to good. "Cattle are in good condition," he said. "But range grasses continue to decline from the lack of moisture." Galen Chandler, district Extension director in Vernon, said, "Livestock conditions are holding, but producers are feeding protein supplements. Ranchers are closely monitoring tanks."

Triple digit temperatures and extreme drought conditions devastated the cotton crop by the middle of August. The Rolling Plains and the area south of Lubbock were the hardest hit, according to Extension economist Dr. Carl Anderson. The Rolling Plains had cut yields by half and producers south of Lubbock had already lost 25 to 30% of the dryland crop. District Extension director Charles Neeb in Fort Stockton said 80% of the cotton crop was at a level of production that makes it questionable to harvest. He said farmers could not give the irrigated cotton enough water to make a difference.

An extremely successful rice crop was present at the end of August. The high daily temperatures and cool nights provided optimum rice production. Dr. Arlen Klosterborer, Extension agronomist in College Station, said that harvest of the first rice crop was 95% complete along the upper Gulf Coast and in Northeast Texas, where over 200,000 acres had been harvested. "With such a great start, we are expecting an excellent ratoon crop, too," he said. The ratoon crop is the second rice crop, which results from the new tillers that grow from the stubble of harvested plants. This reduces production costs because of the savings from seeds, land preparation, and irrigation. Also, the peanut harvest was gaining momentum and excellent yields and quality are being reported.

Darcy Dittman

Office of the State Climatologist
 
 

Material obtained from:

TAMU Extension Crop, Livestock and Weather reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monthly Weather Outlook for September 2000

From the Climate Prediction Center, the 30-day outlook for the month of September indicates normal temperatures for the area north of a line from just south of Texarkana to Midland/Odessa. In Big Bend and the Lower Valley, climatologists are forecasting a 5-10% greater than normal probability of above-average temperatures. The rest of the state has a 0-5% greater-than-normal probability of above-average temperatures.

Precipitation is predicted to be normal for the majority of the state.

Past Weather Events in September

September 16, 1875: Hurricane. Struck Indianola, Calhoun County. Three-fourths of town swept away; 176 lives lost. Flooding from the bay caused nearly all destruction.

September 8-9, 1900: Hurricane. Galveston. The Great Galveston Storm was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history in terms of human life. Loss of life at Galveston has been estimated at 6,000 to 8,000, but the exact number has never been exactly determined. The island was completely inundated; not a single structure escaped damage. Most of the loss of life was due to drowning by storm tides that reached 15 feet or more. The anemometer blew away when the wind reached 100 miles per hour at 6:15 p.m. on the 8^th. Wind reached an estimated maximum velocity of 120 mph between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Property damage has been estimated at $30 to $40 million.

September 8-10, 1921: Rainstorm. Probably the greatest rainstorm in Texas history, it entered Mexico as a hurricane from the Gulf. Torrential rains fell as the storm moved northeasterly across Texas. Record floods occurred in Bexar, Travis, Williamson, Bell and Milam counties, killing 215 persons, with property losses over $19 million. Five to nine feet of water stood in downtown San Antonio. A total of 23.98 inches was measured at the U.S. Weather Bureau station at Taylor during a period of 35 hours, with a 24-hour maximum of 23.11 on September 9-10. The greatest rainfall recorded in United States history during 18 consecutive hours fell at Thrall, Williamson County, 36.40 inches fell on Sept. 9.

September 8-14, 1961: Hurricane Carla. Port O'Connor; maximum wind gust at Port Lavaca estimated at 175 mph. Highest tide was 18.5 feet at Port Lavaca. Most damage was to coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Port Arthur and inland Jackson, Harris and Wharton counties. In Texas, 34 persons died; seven in a tornado that swept across Galveston Island; 465 persons were injured. Property and crop damage conservatively estimated at $300 million. The evacuation of an estimated 250,000 persons kept loss of life low. Hurricane Carla was the largest hurricane of record.

September 9-13, 1971: Hurricane Fern. Coastal Bend. Ten to 26 inches of rain resulted in some of the worst flooding since Hurricane Beulah in 1967. Two persons killed; losses were $30,231,000.
 
 

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

Darcy Dittman (Undergraduate Assistant)

Kerry Meyer (Undergraduate Assistant)