2003: A DRY AND HOT YEAR IN  EL PASO TEXAS 

 2003 TURNED OUT BE THE 4TH DRIEST ON RECORD... AND IN ADDITION... THE THIRD WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD IN EL PASO 
WITH A  MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 66.0 F. ONLY 1994 WITH A MEAN OF 67.4 F AND 1934 WITH A MEAN OF 67.1 F WERE WARMER.

SIXTEEN RECORD TEMPERATURES WERE ESTABLISHED IN 2003 WITH 6 BEING MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR THE DAY 
AND THE OTHER 10 HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR THE DAY.

IN THE RAINFALL DEPARTMENT:

2003 ENDED WITH ONLY 4.21 INCHES OF RAINFALL ESTABLISHING A NEW RECORD PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1894 FOR THE FOURTH DRIEST YEAR SINCE PRECIPITATION RECORDS STARTED IN 1879. 

4.21 INCHES IS 44.6% OF THE THIRTY YEAR NORMAL AMOUNT OF 9.43 INCHES.

BELOW IS A SHORT TABULATION OF SOME DRY YEARS IN EL PASO.

1891 1934 1910 2003 1894 2001 1922

2.22 INCHES IN 1891     2.73 INCHES IN 1934     4.03 INCHES IN 1910   4.21 INCHES IN 2003  4.24 INCHES  IN 1894 
4.29 INCHES IN 2001     4.30 INCHES IN 1922

BOTH JANUARY AND MAY OF 2003 TIED RECORDS...BOTH BEING THE SECOND DRIEST ON RECORD
 WITH EACH RECEIVING ONLY A TRACE.

EVERY YEAR SINCE 1994 HAS SEEN A RAINFALL DEFICIT IN EL PASO WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1997 WHICH HAD A SURPLUS
 OF ONLY .20 INCHES.
SINCE 1994 EL PASO HAS RECEIVED ONLY 69.3% OF ITS NORMAL RAINFALL LEAVING A DEFICIT OF -25.02 INCHES WHICH IS MATHEMATICALLY EQUIVALENT OF NOT RAINING FOR 2.65 YEARS OUT OF THE 10 YEARS.

ONE EFFECT OF THIS DEFICIT IS QUITE PRONOUNCED IN THE INCREASED FREQUENCY OF BLOWING DUST EPISODES.
THERE WERE 38 DAYS WITH BLOWING DUST AND VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS DURING 2003.
 THE CUMULATIVE DRYNESS HAS LOWERED THE WIND THRESHOLD TO PICK UP DIRT AND SAND AND ALSO HAS GRADUALLY CREATED MORE EXPOSED AREAS WITH LITTLE TO NO VEGETATION.

DAVID J. NOVLAN / CLIMATE FOCAL POINT / NWS WFO EL PASO                                  photo credit Rick Alcorn

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