Volume 18 Number 9                                                                                                SEPTEMBER 2005

          The big story for all of Texas in the month of September was the excessive heat. Average temperatures ranged anywhere between 3 to 6 degrees above normal standards for monthly average temperatures. The peak of the heat hit Texas, especially the eastern half of the state after Hurricane Rita came on shore in extreme western Louisiana. Many stations had the warmest September ever, including Austin, College Station, Dallas, and Houston. Corpus Christi set or tied record highs for eight consecutive days from the 22nd through the 29th. College Station recorded a high of 105° on the 26th, shattering the previous record high for the date by a full seven degrees. On the same day, Austin Mabry recorded its highest ever autumn temperature of 107°. Needless to say, the heat wave was one of historical proportions.

          Thankfully, the other big story for the month of September, Hurricane Rita, was not a record-breaker. The biggest impact on Texas was felt in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area in the form of hurricane force winds and excessive rainfall. The peak wind speed at Southeast Texas Regional Airport was 105 mph, enough to cause extensive but not catastrophic damage in the region. Rainfall totals at the same station were 8.89” in the 24-hour period starting on the 23rd. Longview saw 2.41” of rain and Lufkin 2.56” of rain from Rita.

          Aside from Hurricane Rita, rainfall was sparse for the rest of the state. An exception was El Paso, which saw almost twice of its normal September precipitation. Marfa, in Presidio County, saw a remarkable 6.42” of rainfall on the 28th. Along with having its warmest September on record, College Station experienced its driest September on record with only a trace of rainfall for the entire month. Midland did not even have a trace of rain, while other stations such as Amarillo (0.14”), Del Rio (0.02”), and San Angelo (0.02”) were also extremely dry. 


SEPTEMBER 2005

 

* 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 OCTOBER


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.

 

 

Agricultural Weather Highlights

 

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

 

 

Past Weather Events in October

 

October 3, 1867:  Hurricane.  This hurricane moved inland south of Galveston, but raked the entire Texas coast from the Rio Grande to the Sabine.  Bagdad and Clarksville, towns at the mouth of the Rio Grande, were destroyed.  Much of Galveston was flooded and property damage there was estimated at $1 million.

 

October 12-13, 1880:  Hurricane.  Brownsville.  City nearly destroyed, many lives lost.

 

October 12, 1886:  Hurricane.  Sabine, Jefferson County.  Hurricane passed over Sabine.  The inundation extended 20 miles inland and nearly every house in the vicinity was moved from its foundation; 150 persons were drowned.

 

October 28, 1960:  Rainstorm.  Rains of 7-10 inches fell in South Central Texas; 11 died from drowning in flash floods.  In Austin about 300 families were driven from their homes.  Damage in Austin was estimated at $2.5 million.

 

October 11-14, 1981:  Record rains in North Central Texas caused by the remains of Pacific Hurricane Norma.  Over 20 inches fell in some locations.

 

October 15-19, 1994:  Extreme amounts of rainfall, up to 28.90 inches over a 4-day period, fell throughout southeastern part of the state.  Seventeen lives were lost, most of them victims of flash flooding.  Many rivers reached record flood levels during this period.  Houston was cut off from many other parts of the state, as numerous roads, including Interstate 10, were under water.  Damage was estimated to be near $700 million; 26 counties were declared disaster areas.

 

October 17-19, 1998:  A massive and devastating flood set all-time records for rainfall and river levels, resulted in the deaths of 25 people, injured more than 2,000 others, and caused more than $500 million damage from the Hill Country to the counties surrounding San Antonio to the south and east.

 

January-October, 2000:  A severe drought plagued most of Texas.  Some regions experienced little to no rain for several months during the summer.  Abilene saw no rain for 72 consecutive days, while Dallas had no rain for 84 consecutive days during the summer.  During July, aquifers were reaching all-time lows, and lake and streams fell to critical levels.  Most regions had to cut back or stop agriculture due to lack of rain.  The drought caused $515 million in agricultural loss according to USDA figures.

 

 

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon (State Climatologist)

Brent McRoberts (Graduate Assistant)

Matt Mosier (Undergraduate Assistant)