Volume 15 Number 8 AUGUST 2002

August was considerably drier and warmer for most locations around the state compared to July. Almost the entire state reported below normal precipitation except the southeast and the northern Panhandle regions. Galveston and Port Arthur received excessive rain on the 15^th, totaling 11.46" and 5.79" respectively. Tropical moisture kept re-developing over the Galveston area, and it continued to move over much of the extreme southeastern counties causing localized flooding. Temperatures were, for the most part, above normal except Austin and College Station, which were slightly below. The western half of the state saw the greatest departures from normal including Midland at 4.4F above, San Angelo at 3.3F above, and El Paso at 3.4F above.

The month started off hot and dry, with some Monsoon moisture entering El Paso, and some scatted sea-breeze shower activity along the coast. El Paso dried out quickly, and the rest of the state continued to stay above normal. A weak front entered the Panhandle region on the 10^th giving Amarillo 1.18" of rain.

Aside from the soaking rains along the southeast coast, the middle of the month remained hot and dry for the bulk of the state. Some scattered sea-breeze showers popped up during the afternoon, which is typical for this time of year, but all fronts stayed well to the north of the state.

A "cold" front managed to make it through the state during the last week in August. Prior to the frontal passage on the 28^th and 29^th, several locations reported temperatures well above 100F including San Angelo and Midland at 106F, while Dallas reported 98F, and San Antonio at 97F. The front helped to drop temperatures from 5 to 12 degrees, but little to no rainfall was associated with it.

Andrew Odins (Graduate Assistant)

AUGUST 2002

* 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 SEPTEMBER

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.

All times given for sunrise, sunset, and moon phase times are calculated for the intersection of

Meridian 99°10' W and parallel 31°23' N, which is the approximate geographic center of the state.

Climate-related Agricultural Information

http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/CROP/

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.

September 5, 2000: Excessive heat resulted in at least eight all-time high temperature records around the state, one of which was Possum Kingdom Lake which reached 114°F. This day is being regarded as the hottest day ever in Texas.

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

Andrew Odins (Graduate Assistant)

Kelsey Curtiss, and Brent Maddux (Undergraduate Assistants)