Very dry describes the weather element of longest duration for April of 2005. April of 2005 ended up the driest April at San Antonio, with 0.01 inches. April 2005 rain of 0.09 inches at Del Rio was a tie for the 5th driest April, with April of 1907. For Austin, April 2005 ended up a tie for the 12th driest April, with April 1987, at Austin Bergstrom with 0.91 inches; and the 16th driest of April at Austin Mabry, with 0.72 inches. Monthly rainfall at other locations scattered across Central and South Central Texas for April 2005 was as follows: Burnet Airport 0.84 inches; Georgetown Airport 0.85 inches; Llano Airport 0.44 inches; New Braunfels Municipal Airport 0.66 inches; and San Marcos Airport 0.32 inches. An isolated thunderstorm in the predawn hours of Friday, April 22nd, left 0.98 inches at the Rocksprings Airport. After a very cloudy period in February, more sunny days emerged in March, and this trend continued for most of April 2005. Long stretches of sunny days in April 2005 increased evaporation rates, a factor that has also contributed to the April 2005 dryness. Adequate rains earlier in 2005 began to slow down in March and this trend accelerated in April. Rainfall for Year 2005 from January 1st to April 30th was still above normal at Austin and below normal at Del Rio and below normal San Antonio. From January 1st to April 30th, Austin Bergstrom has had 10.03 inches of rain, 0.81 inches above normal; Austin Mabry 9.48 inches or 0.95 inches above normal; Del Rio 4.12 inches, 0.08 inches below normal; and San Antonio 6.62 inches, 1.28 inches below normal.

April 2005 had severe weather events on the 5th and in the evening and night of the 10th to the early morning of the 11th. Other rain events of short duration in April 2005 included the following: scattered showers and thunderstorms the night of the 20th and early morning of the 21st over the western hill country; isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms in the evening of the 22nd along a cold front; and scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the morning hours of Saturday the 30th along and just after a cold frontal passage.

A few strong cold fronts made their way across the area in April, contributing to more extremes in temperature from cold to warm and warm to cold. The April 2005 weather pattern was more like March in terms of day to day and week to week weather changes. Unlike 2004, afternoon highs this year reached 90 in a few places in March, and many places in April 2005. Last year it took all the way until mid to late May before any 90 degree days were observed. The month ended with vast temperature extremes as the 29th was the warmest day of the month at many locations, followed by daytime highs 20 to 25 degrees cooler the 30th, in wake of a strong late April cold front. The average monthly April temperature ended up below normal at Austin. Austin Bergstrom had the 8th coolest April of Record. At San Antonio the average monthly temperatures was slightly below normal, and at Del Rio slightly above normal.

A listing of the driest Aprils follows.

SAN ANTONIO...

APRIL 2005 WAS THE DRIEST APRIL OF RECORD AT
SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...WITH 0.01 INCHES
OF RAIN.  THE LATEST 30 YEAR 1971 TO 2000 NORMAL
FOR APRIL AT SAN ANTONIO IS 2.60 INCHES.

THE DRIEST APRILS AT SAN ANTONIO...1871 TO PRESENT

1.  0.01 INCHES IN APRIL 2005
2.  0.05 INCHES IN APRIL 1998
3.  0.11 INCHES IN APRIL 1984
4.  0.14 INCHES IN APRIL 1955
5.  0.16 INCHES IN APRIL 1892
6.  0.17 INCHES IN APRIL 2003
7.  0.18 INCHES IN APRIL 1925 AND 1983
8.  0.28 INCHES IN APRIL 1917
9.  0.29 INCHES IN APRIL 1895
10. 0.30 INCHES IN APRIL 1947
11. 0.32 INCHES IN APRIL 1961

DEL RIO...

APRIL 2005 RAINFALL WAS A TIE WITH APRIL OF 1907
FOR THE 5TH DRIEST APRIL OF RECORD AT DEL RIO,
WITH 0.09 INCHES OF RAIN.  THE 30 YEAR 1971 TO 2000
NORMAL AT DEL RIO FOR APRIL IS 1.71 INCHES.

THE DRIEST APRILS AT DEL RIO...DECEMBER 1905 TO PRESENT.

1.  TRACE   IN APRIL 1953
2.  0.01 INCHES IN APRIL 1955 AND 1998
3.  0.02 INCHES IN APRIL 1920
4.  0.05 INCHES IN APRIL 1956
5.  0.09 INCHES IN APRIL 1907 AND APRIL 2005
6.  0.11 INCHES IN APRIL 2003
7.  0.12 INCHES IN APRIL 1988
8.  0.13 INCHES IN APRIL 1983
9.  0.14 INCHES IN APRIL 1970
10. 0.17 INCHES IN APRIL 1932

AUSTIN BERGSTROM...

APRIL 2005 RAINFALL WAS A TIE WITH APRIL OF 1987
FOR THE 12TH DRIEST APRIL OF RECORD AT AUSTIN BERGSTROM
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WHERE 0.91 INCHES OF RAIN FELL.
THE LATEST 30 YEAR 1971 TO 2000 NORMAL FOR APRIL AT
AUSTIN BERGSTROM IS 2.63 INCHES.

THE DRIEST APRILS AT AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...
OCTOBER 1942 TO PRESENT

1.  0.03 INCHES IN APRIL 1984
2.  0.06 INCHES IN APRIL 2003
3.  0.21 INCHES IN APRIL 1944
4.  0.23 INCHES IN APRIL 1983
5.  0.24 INCHES IN APRIL 1961
6.  0.34 INCHES IN APRIL 1943
7.  0.39 INCHES IN APRIL 2001
8.  0.59 INCHES IN APRIL 1955
9.  0.62 INCHES IN APRIL 1951
10. 0.77 INCHES IN APRIL 1956
11. 0.86 INCHES IN APRIL 2002
12. 0.91 INCHES IN APRIL 1987 AND APRIL 2005

AUSTIN MABRY...

APRIL 2005 WAS THE 16TH DRIEST APRIL OF RECORD
AT AUSTIN MABRY...WITH 0.72 INCHES OF RAIN.
THE LATEST 30 YEAR 1971 TO 2000 NORMAL
FOR APRIL AT AUSTIN MABRY IS 2.51 INCHES.

THE DRIEST APRILS AT AUSTIN MABRY...1856 TO PRESENT

1.  TRACE   IN APRIL 1887
2.  0.06 INCHES IN APRIL 1984
3.  0.10 INCHES IN APRIL 1892...1961 AND 2003
4.  0.16 INCHES IN APRIL 1983
5.  0.20 INCHES IN APRIL 1893
6.  0.33 INCHES IN APRIL 1944          
7.  0.38 INCHES IN APRIL 1920
8.  0.45 INCHES IN APRIL 1987
9.  0.49 INCHES IN APRIL 1858 AND 1859
10. 0.50 INCHES IN APRIL 2001
11. 0.53 INCHES IN APRIL 1882
12. 0.56 INCHES IN APRIL 1956
13. 0.58 INCHES IN APRIL 1876
14. 0.63 INCHES IN APRIL 1937
15. 0.66 INCHES IN APRIL 1936
16. 0.72 INCHES IN APRIL 2005

A few strong cold fronts affected the area in April 2005. One severe weather event on the evening of March 31st, came ahead of a strong cold front, that came through the area, bringing windy and cooler weather for Friday, April 1st. Clear and cold temperatures on the night of the 1st and early morning of the 2nd brought a freeze to parts of the hill country with lows in the mid and upper 30s to near 40 across South Central Texas. The coldest lows from April 2nd were as follows: 29 at 10 miles west of Hunt; 29 at 1 mile north of Pandale; Boerne 31; Fredericksburg 31; Kerrville 32; and Llano 32. On the night of the 2nd to early morning of the 3rd another unseasonably cool night came with lows in the 30s over parts of the hill country east to the Austin Area. The first weekend of April on the 2nd and 3rd brought clear skies until late in the day of the 3rd, when high clouds came in from the west. More humidity followed the 4th and part of the 5th. Dry and warm conditions on the afternoon of the 5th with highs in the 80s was followed by a line of developing thunderstorms that formed just north of the hill country and moved southeast across parts of Central Texas and South Central Texas in the evening and late night hours. Strong winds and hail accompanied the thunderstorms. Skies were clear the next day in wake of a cold front with breezy northwest winds. The mild and dry weather continued the 7th, with breezy conditions. On April 8th dry conditions continued as high clouds moved in during the afternoon. Patchy high clouds and a partial eclipse of the sun on the afternoon of the 8th, helped to shave a few degrees off afternoon highs.

On April 9th strong southerly breezes came ahead of another weather system that came in form the west and brought a line of thunderstorms in the evening and night of the 10th and early morning of the 11th. Brief gusty Strong winds and hail accompanied the storms. Skies cleared up on Monday morning of the 11th, giving way to a mostly sunny day. Clear skies and cool conditions followed once again the night of the 11th and morning of the 12th. Lows were in the 30s over the hill country to 40s across South Central Texas. On the 12th to the 15th dry mid April Weather continued. More cloud cover showed up the weekend of the 16th and 17th. Isolated showers made their way across the area on Sunday the 17th.

Dry weather continued in the early to mid part of the week of Monday the 18th to Thursday the 21st. On Thursday night the 21st and early morning of Friday the 22nd widely scattered showers and thunderstorms made their way across the north and northwest part of South Central Texas, and then broke up in the predawn hours.

April 22nd was the warmest day of April for the first 22 days; however, that changed the following Friday on April 29th, when even warmer afternoon temperatures came. The warm afternoons of the 22nd and 29th both came ahead of strong cold fronts. On April 22nd the high was 91 at Austin and San Antonio, and 96 at Del Rio, ahead of a strong cold front. Isolated thunderstorms came in the late afternoon to early evening, and then moved south in the late evening hours. Much cooler conditions followed the next day on Saturday, as high clouds came across the area. Cool early morning lows followed the 24th, to a partly cloudy and mild day for late April. In the predawn hours of April 25th, clouds and scattered areas of rain, showers or thunderstorms returned, and then moved out of the area by the afternoon and evening.

The last 5 days of April 2005 showed continued variability in day to day high and low temperatures. Cool nights and warm days followed the Pacific cool front of Monday the 25th, on the 26th. Afternoons warmed up the 27th and 28th. The warmest days of the month at many places came Friday the 29th, ahead of a strong cold front. The high April 29th was 91 at Austin Bergstrom; 94 at Austin Mabry; 94 at San Antonio and 98 at Del Rio. Highs at other locations were as follows: Langtry 100; Carrizo Springs 97; Uvalde 95; New Braunfels 93; Hondo 93; Georgetown 93; San Antonio Stinson Field 92; Burnet 92; Kerrville 91; Fredericksburg 91; and Rocksprings 90. Much cooler conditions followed the next day on the 30th in wake of a strong cold front, with highs around 20 to 25 degrees cooler. Scattered showers and thunderstorms came along and after the cold frontal passage on Saturday morning of April 30th. April 2005 ended on Saturday the 30th about the same way it had started on Friday the 1st, with breezy north winds and unseasonably cool temperatures, after a cold frontal passage.