The average February temperature was 52.6 degrees, 2.1 degrees below normal. The average high was 63.3, and the average low was 42.0. Heating degree days 355 and cooling degree days 2. The highest temperature reached 79 on the 19th and 20th. The lowest was 29 on the 14th and 15th. Highest wind gust was 41 mph from the northwest on the 24th. Rainfall was 1.73 inches, 0.02 inches below normal. Rainfall from January 1st to February 29th, 2004... 4.04 inches or 0.63 inches above normal.

February 2004 was cooler than normal. Precipitation was above normal from parts of Central Texas to the southeast part of South Central Texas. Heavy rains on the night of the 23rd and early morning of the 24th, made Feburary 2004 wetter than noraml over the southwest part of South Central Texas. The rest of the area from Del Rio to San Antonio and northward to the western half of the Texas Hill Country had slightly below normal rain for February. After warming up the 5th, a cold week followed the 8th to the 14th, with a winter precipitation event the 13th and 14th. Conditions then warmed up again the week of the 15th to the 21st. The week of the 22nd to 28th began mild, then turned cooler the 24th and 25th with a rain event, and moderated by the end of the week. Another rain system came late the 28th and the morning of the 29th.

February is climatologically a month with the most extremes in temperature for South Central Texas. In early February of 1973, unseasonably warm weather with afternoon highs in the 70s, was followed by much colder conditions February 8th and 9th of 1973, with a winter precipitation event. In February of 1981, afternoon highs rose the 70s on the 10th, then plunged to the teens and 20s the following morning on the 11th in wake of a strong Arctic Cold front. In 1996 February began with a winter precipitation event; followed by a few days around the 20th, 21st and 22nd with highs in the 90s, reaching near 100 on February 21, 1996 at some places. This was followed by much colder conditions on February 29, 1996. For the 2nd year in a row, February has brought winter precipitation to parts of Central and South Central Texas. Last year February brought 2 winter precipitation events, on February 7th and 8th, and again on the 24th and 25th. This year in 2004, February brought yet another winter precipitation event on the 13th and during the predawn hours of the 14th.

Wetter and cloudier than normal weather that showed up in January continued through the Mid Part of February 2004. Early to Mid February of 2004 has been cooler than normal. Although February 2004 began as a mild cloudy day on the 1st, cooler conditions came to the area from the 2nd to the 3rd. This was the beginning of cooler days to come. Although it tried to warm up a day on the 5th, after the first rain event the 4th, another cold front came by the night of the 5th and morning of the 6th to keep cooler weather over the area. The sun stayed out 1 day on the 7th, followed by a string of cloudy and cold days the 8th through the 13th. No sooner did the clouds come back on Sunday the 8th, the rain quickly followed setting up soggy, rainy days on the 9th, 10th, and 11th.

One surge of cold air after another, slowly caused temperatures to fall from February 9th to the 13th. A brief interval of sun Thursday afternoon of the 12th, was followed by more clouds and another surge of cold air the night of the 12th and morning of the 13th. Light rain the morning of the 13th turned to freezing rain and sleet over parts of the Texas hill country and extending east to parts of Central Texas. Afternoon highs Friday, February 13th were in the 30s, with 40s near the Rio Grande. This was 20 to 30 degrees below normal for mid February. As a low pressure system aloft approached the area from the west, a wintry mix of precipitation came the night of the 13th and predawn hours of the 14th. Initially light rain and drizzle was followed by freezing drizzle, sleet and snow. A wave of cold, convective precipitation came over South Central Texas after 10 pm, bringing with it a mix of winter precipitation and also isolated thunder. Strong instability ahead of the upper level low and energy from the jet stream, helped to form the line of cold, convective precipitation. During mild periods in the winter, these conditions in the past have produced severe weather events. In the Feburary 13 to 14, 2004 weather event, a winter precipitation event evolved. The isolated thunder that accompanied the frozen precipitation this year, also occurred with winter precipitation in late Febraury of 2003. Another cold, convective rain event that affected the area came on the night of November 28 and early morning hours of November 29, 2001. Snowfall amounts from the February 13 to 14, 2004 winter weather event varied from a trace to 1 to 3 inches, mainly near and north of Interstate 10. A trace of snow was observed at Del Rio. Drier and more stable conditions came to the area from just before to near sunrise on the 14th, bringing mostly sunny to partly cloudy weather in the daylight hours on Saturday the 14th. After an early morning freeze on the 15th, a sunny to partly cloudy day followed on Sunday, Febraury 15th.

The following is a preliminary list of snowfall amounts as reported by the afternoon of Monday, February 16th.

VAL VERDE COUNTY...TRACE
REAL COUNTY........TRACE
KERR COUNTY........0.5 INCHES TO NEAR 1 INCH
  INGRAM....0.5 INCHES
BANDERA COUNTY.....1 INCH OF SNOW AND SLEET
MEDINA COUNTY......TRACE OF SNOW AND SLEET
BEXAR COUNTY.......TRACE SOUTH TO 0.5 INCHES TO 1 INCH NORTH
  SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...0.7 INCHES
KENDALL COUNTY.....TRACE TO 1 INCH
  6 MILES NORTH OF BOERNE....0.5 INCHES
  COMFORT................. ..0.25 INCHES
GILLESPIE COUNTY...TRACE TO 0.5 INCHES
  FREDERICKSBURG...0.5 INCHES
LLANO COUNTY.......1 TO 2 INCHES
BURNET COUNTY......1 TO 1.50 INCHES.
  INKS DAM...1 INCH OF SNOW
BLANCO COUNTY......1 INCH
COMAL COUNTY.......0.5 INCHES TO 1.50 INCHES
  NEW BRAUNFELS...0.5 INCHES TO 1.50 INCHES
  SPRING BRANCH...1.50 INCHES
HAYS COUNTY........1 INCH
GUADALUPE COUNTY...0.5 INCHES
WILSON COUNTY......TRACE OF SLEET
BASTROP COUNTY.....TRACE
CALDWELL COUNTY....TRACE TO ONE INCH
TRAVIS COUNTY......1 TO 2 INCHES
  AUSTIN MABRY...1.6 INCHES
  AUSTIN BERGSTROM...0.7 INCHES
  AUSTIN GREAT HILLS...1.8 INCHES
LEE COUNTY.........TRACE TO 1 INCH
  6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COUPLAND 1 INCH
WILLIAMSON COUNTY..1 TO 3 INCHES
  ROUND ROCK......2 INCHES
  GEORGETOWN......2 INCHES
  NEAR GRANGER....2 TO 3 INCHES

The following pictures were taken between 8:30 and 9:00 AM CST on Saturday, February 14th. The snow quickly melted by late morning to early afternoon.

The week of February 16 to 20th witnessed a warming trend, with sunny days and mostly clear nights, followed by a week of rains and cooler conditions in the week of February 23rd to 27th. Rains with showers and thunderstorms came on Monday the 23rd and Tuesday the 24th. Rainfall amounts were around 0.50 inches to 1.50 inches in the Feburary 23/24 rain event. Much cooler conditions came the 25th. A slow warmup in the day followed the 26th and 27th, after lows near and just below freezing to the 30s on both mornings. Cloudy conditions returned the night of the 27th and early morning of the 28th, with a cloudy day on the 28th. On Feburary 29th, a line of showers and thunderstorms moved across South Central and parts of Central Texas from the west in the morning. Skies cleared up the afternoon.

As March begins, the last days of Winter 2003/2004 continue until March 20, 2004 at 1249 AM CST, when Spring 2004 officially begins.