Volume 15 Number 2 FEBRUARY 2002

Cooler and drier than normal can best characterize February for Texas. All stations reported cooler than normal temperatures, from –0.9°F in Amarillo to –5.6°F in College Station, and all stations except Abilene, El Paso, and Midland reported below normal precipitation. Numerous low temperature records were set around the state on the 26^th, 27^th, and/or the 28^th, including College Station, Dallas/Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Waco, Wichita Falls and Shreveport, LA. Low temperatures in the teens were felt across much of the state following this arctic front.

A strong cold front moved through the state at the beginning of the month, bringing high temperatures into the forties and fifties around the state. A subtropical jet helped to deliver some moisture to El Paso and Western sections of the state on the 4^th, contributing to 0.55 inches of El Paso’s monthly rain. A low developed in the southern part of the state on the 5^th, which helped to bring some moisture to much of the state, with Waco acquiring 1.42 inches.

Temperatures moderated during the middle of the month with high pressure in control. A couple of weak cold fronts moved through the area, with only slightly cooler temperatures behind each one and little to no precipitation. Towards the latter part of the month, a very strong arctic cold front moved into the area. Temperatures on the 25^th ranged from the seventies to the eighties for most areas, then from the thirties to fifties on the 26^th, and several temperature records were broken. Unfortunately there was no precipitation associated with this frontal passage, but there were some strong winds with it. Temperatures were slow to rebound with the conclusion of the month still below normal form all areas.

A final note: we will be changing the format of the Texas bulletins. Instead of a monthly summary, we will be making a weekly summary of weather conditions, a forecast for the current week, and the climate outlook from the Climate Prediction Center will be posted a lot sooner. At the end of the month we will post data tables and maps like those in the old monthly bulletins. Please check back frequently, as we will be updating the bulletins regularly.

Andrew Odins (Graduate Assistant)

FEBRUARY 2002

* 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 MARCH

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.

Agricultural Weather Highlights

This month saw little if no relief for the ongoing drought in the western central portions of the state. Scott Durham, District Extension Director in San Angelo explained that ranchers have had to scale back the size of their herds and did not graze normally productive rangelands. This trend in herd reduction has stemmed from the beginning of the drought by ranchers in an effort to keep forage production high and foliage on rangeland from being completely removed by overgrazing.

The Valley, however, has not seen the same type of drought conditions that Central West Texas has seen. In fact, they have seen an overproduction of crops, most notably cabbage. Texas produces about 15 to 18 percent of the annual 25 billion pounds of cabbage produced in the United States each year, said Dr. John Robinson, Extension economist in Weslaco. This is because cabbage grows best in dry, cool conditions.

February also fostered the beginning of the growing season for cotton. Dr. Carl Anderson, professor and Extension Agronomist stated that surpluses have grown from year to year and that the carryover of cotton form each season is greatly reducing the price of cotton. The current surpluses can only be compared to those of the mid 1930's when machinery was introduced, which greatly increased cotton production. Farmers around the state, despite low prices and large surpluses, have gone on with plans to plant as if this year is no different from any other.

The few days of February brought the worst late season freeze seen by our state in years. It is estimated that the freeze will cost farmers and gardeners millions of dollars. Most affected will be those trees and plants which have already began to sap and bloom. Nearly all of the state, with the exception of far south Texas, was affected to some degree by the freeze.

Brent Maddux

Office of the State Climatologist

Material obtained from:

TAMU Extension Crop, Livestock and Weather reports

Monthly Weather Outlook for March 2002

From the Climate Prediction Center, the 30-day outlook for the month of March 2002 indicates a 0-5% greater than normal probability of above-average temperatures in the eastern half of the state. The western half is predicted to have 5-10% greater than normal probability of above-average temperatures.

The southern regions of the state are predicted to have a 0-5% greater than normal precipitation for the month of March including the southern counties in the Edwards Plateau, the South Central, Upper Coast regions. The Southern, Lower Valley, and southern counties in the South Central regions are predicted to have over 5% probability of greater than normal precipitation.

Past Weather Events in March

March 23, 1909: Tornado. Slidell, Wise County; 11 killed, 10 injured; damage $30,000.

March 30, 1933: Tornado. Angelina, Nacogdoches and San Augustine Counties; 10 killed, 56 injured; damage $200,000.

March 13, 1953: Tornado. Jud and O'Brien, Haskell County; and Knox City, Knox County; 17 killed, 25 injured; damage $600,000.

March-May, 1998: According to the Climate Prediction Center, this three-month period ranks as the seventh driest for a region including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. May 1998 has been ranked as both the warmest and the driest May that this region has ever seen.

March 28, 2000: A supercell over Fort Worth produced an F3 tornado which injured 80 people and caused significant damage. Flooding claimed the lives of two people.

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

Andrew Odins (Graduate Assistant)

Brent Maddux (Undergraduate Assistant)

Kelsey Curtiss (Undergraduate Assistant)