Volume 12 Number 8                                                                                                                      AUGUST 1999

August of 1999 was extremely dry for most of Texas, with only two of the nineteen stations recording above normal precipitation. Due to rainfall associated with Hurricane Bret, Corpus Christi and Del Rio received 225% and 165% of their normal rainfall, respectively. In contrast, Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco, and Port Arthur received no rainfall for the month, and Midland and San Angelo recorded less than 0.01 inches.

To compound the drought conditions, mean monthly temperatures were above normal for nearly all stations. Corpus Christi, the lone exception, recorded temperatures equal to their 30-year normal for August. The greatest departures from normal were Wichita Falls (+4.9ºF) and Dallas-Fort Worth (+5.3ºF), with Wichita Falls recording the state's high temperature twelve days during the month.

A cold front associated with low pressure in Central Oklahoma extended into the Panhandle, bringing 0.73 inches of rainfall to Dalhart on the 1^st. As this boundary became stationary over the northern half of the state, several counties experienced severe weather. On the 3^rd, high winds in Navarro and Ellis counties brought down power lines and uprooted trees. Hail up to one inch in diameter was spotted at Millican in Brazos County, and parts of Burleson County had some wind damage as well. Hot temperatures dominated the weather reports throughout mid-August, along with the continued lack of rainfall.

Hurricane Bret, a compact Category Four storm that originated in the Bay of Campeche, made landfall near Norias in Kenedy County at 8:00 P.M. on the 22^nd. Residents of counties to the north and south and the Corpus Christi metropolitan area breathed a sigh of relief as the storm moved westward and came ashore in the least populated area of the Texas Gulf Coast. Along with sustained winds of 140 mph, Bret brought localized rainfall of at least 25 inches. Corpus Christi recorded 4.56 inches in a 24-hour period, and tornadoes were spotted in Weslaco and Donna in Hidalgo County on the 23^rd. Flooding was reported in Asherton in Dimmit County on the 24^th.

The last week of August brought severe thunderstorms over North Texas in response to an upper-level disturbance moving out of Oklahoma. Winds up to 60 mph were measured in Archer County on the 27^th. On the 28^th, a small tornado touched down near Rowena in Runnels County, and a football stadium pressbox was blown over and several power poles were snapped at Brownwood in Brown County.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Prepared by: John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

* 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.
 
 

As of August 10, the good news for Texas corn producers was that aflatoxin is not a problem this year due to adequate soil moisture prior to harvest. A highly carcinogenic waste product of a fungus that appears on drought-stressed corn, aflatoxin was more of a problem last year, according to George Latimer, assistant to the vice-chancellor at Texas A & M. Additionally, most districts were reporting short soil moisture; only the Panhandle, Southeast Texas, and the Coastal Bend were approaching adequate soil moisture by this time.

Into the middle of August, low prices were expected to keep cotton producers from realizing the benefits of favorable conditions and high yields. Dr. Carl Anderson, Extension economist in College Station, stated "The downside is, the market is very weak and the producers will have to continue to deal with incomes that are rather depressed." Fortunately, Anderson added, "the bumper crop is helping offset the lower prices somewhat." In the Coastal Bend, District Extension Director Lin Wilson said the sorghum harvest was complete, rice yields were above average and of good quality, and livestock were in excellent condition.

Hurricane Bret, which made landfall on the 22^nd, was not as devastating to South Texas agriculture as originally predicted, the Texas Agriculture Extension Service reported. Dr. Joe Paschal, Extension livestock specialist in Corpus Christi, said most livestock were unaffected by the storm. Since most of the crops south of Corpus Christi were already harvested, crop damage was expected to be minimal. George Gonzales, Webb County Extension agent, pointed out that his area saw more benefits than damage from Bret. Soil moisture improved as did water availability for irrigation and livestock. North Texas District Extension Director Randy Upshaw said sorghum harvest yields are good, but pastures were showing signs of drought stress.

By the end of the month, it appeared the Texas peach crop was going to produce good yields and good quality. Galen Chandler, district Extension director in Vernon, said that most producers were done harvesting, and because of the less extreme weather, this year's crop is much better than last year. However, the Hill Country did not produce a crop this year. Rayford Pullen, Montague County Extension agent said, "they did not have enough chill hours this winter to produce a peach crop this year."
 
 

Rick Scott

Office of the State Climatologist
 
 
 
 

Material obtained from:

TAMU Extension Crop, Livestock and Weather reports
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monthly Weather Outlook for September 1999

The 30-day outlook for September indicates a 35-40 % chance of above-normal temperatures for most of Central and South Texas, with the rest of the state expected to be near their climatological normal for the month.

Precipitation is expected to be near normal for virtually all of the state during September.
 
 
 
 

Past Weather Events in September

September 8-9, 1900: Hurricane. Galveston. The Great Galveston Storm was the worst natural diasaster in U.S. history in terms of human life. Loss of life at Galveston has been estimated at 6000-8000. 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. Wind reached an estimated maximum velocity of 120 mph between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Property damage has been estimated at $30-$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. The greatest rainfall recorded in United States history during 18 consecutive hours, 36.40" at Thrall in Williamson County, fell on September 9.

September 8-14, 1963: Hurricane Cindy. Rains of 15-23.5 inches fell in portions of Jefferson, Newton, and Orange counties when Hurricane Cindy became stationary west of Port Arthur. Flooding from the excessive rainfall resulted in total property damage of $11,600,000 and agricultural losses of $500,000.

September 18-23, 1967: Hurricane Beulah. Near Brownsville. The third largest hurricane of record, Hurricane Beulah moved inland near the mouth of the Rio Grande on the 20^th. Wind gusts of 136 mph were reported during Beulah's passage. Rains 10-20 inches over much of the area south of San Antonio resulted in record-breaking floods. Beulah spawned 115 tornadoes, all in Texas, the greatest number of tornadoes on record for any hurricane. Hurricane Beulah caused 13 deaths and 37 injuries, of which five deaths and 34 injuries were attributed to tornadoes. Property losses were estimated at $100 million and crop losses at $50 million.

September 5-8, 1980: Hurricane Danielle brought rain and flooding to both Southeast and Central Texas. Seventeen inches of rain fell at Port Arthur, and 25 inches near Junction.

September 16-18, 1988: Hurricane Gilbert struck 125 miles south of Brownsville, bringing tides of three to six feet above average, rainfalls of six to ten inches, and at least 29 tornadoes. Total damage associated with Gilbert in Texas was estimated at $3 million to $5 million. The only death attributed to the storm was a woman who was killed by a tornado spawned by the remnants of Gilbert in the San Antonio area.

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