Waco Climatic Summary for 2002

THE YEAR 2002 MAY BE CHARACTERIZED AS MILD WITH SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BUT TIMELY RAINFALL. THE AVERAGE YEARLY TEMPERATURE WAS 66.5 DEGREES ... 0.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE RAINFALL FOR 2002 WAS 36.92 INCHES ... 3.58 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.

THE WINTER OF 2001-2002 WAS MILD AND ENDED UP ON A DRY NOTE WITH BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. ALTHOUGH JANUARY WAS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, THE LOW OF 17 DEGREES ON JANUARY 3RD WAS NOT ONLY THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR, BUT THE COLDEST SINCE MARCH 16TH, 1996 WHEN THE LOW WAS 16 DEGREES. THE LAST SPRING FREEZE WAS 32 DEGREES ON MARCH 22ND. THE AVERAGE DATE OF THE LAST SPRING FREEZE IS MARCH 11TH.

THE SPRING WAS MILD AND DRY WITH ONLY 7.12 INCHES OF RAIN ... THE 20TH DRIEST ON RECORD. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 1.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE SUMMER TEMPERATURE WAS 83.2 DEGREES, 0.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL, AND THE COOLEST SUMMER SINCE 1997(82.8 DEGREES). THE JULY TEMPERATURE OF 83.8 DEGREES WAS THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 1979(82.3 DEGREES). THERE WERE ONLY 5 100 DEGREE DAYS. IN CONTRAST THE HOT SUMMERS OF 1998-2001 HAD AN AVERAGE OF 41 100 DEGREE DAYS. RAINFALL FOR THE SUMMER WAS TIMELY, BUT SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL.

THE FALL WAS COOL WITH ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL, MOST OF WHICH OCCURRED IN OCTOBER. THE OCTOBER RAINFALL OF 9.00 INCHES IS THE 3RD WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. THE FIRST FALL FREEZE WAS NOVEMBER 28TH. THE AVERAGE DATE OF THE FIRST FALL FREEZE IS NOVEMBER 24TH.

THE WINTER OF 2002-2003 BEGAN ON A WET MILD NOTE IN DECEMBER. THE
MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 7.63 INCHES IS THE 5TH WETTEST DECEMBER ON
RECORD. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.