pns_2010_01_12_2010_cold

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
644 AM CST TUE JAN 12 2010

     ...2010 COLD SNAP RANKS AS ONE OF THE COLDEST ON RECORD...

THE FIRST 11 DAYS OF THE NEW YEAR HAVE BEEN UNSEASONABLY COLD. THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY IS RUNNING ABOUT 12 TO 13 DEGREES
COLDER THAN THE 30 YEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGE.

OVER THE LAST 11 DAYS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN HOUSTON HAS BEEN
39.1 DEGREES. THIS IS THE THIRD COLDEST START TO THE YEAR IN
RECORDED HISTORY. IT IS ALSO THE THIRD COLDEST START FOR HOBBY
AIRPORT...FIFTH COLDEST AT COLLEGE STATION AND SIXTH COLDEST AT
GALVESTON.

       HERE ARE THE FIVE COLDEST AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES
                                         JAN 1 THROUGH JAN 11

     HOUSTON     HOBBY APRT     GALVESTON     COLLEGE STN

     37.8 1942         37.9 1942            39.7 1942          33.7 1979
     38.7 1979         38.9 1979           40.1 1887           34.8 1942
     39.1 2010         40.5 2010          41.1 1879          36.7 1947
     39.6 1988         41.0 1988            41.8 1947          37.0 1970
     40.3 1970         41.2 1947            41.8 1881          37.5 2010

THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN UNUSUALLY COLD AND YET
ONLY A FEW MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED. THE
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURES FOR THE FIRST 11 DAYS OF THE MONTH ARE
THE COLDEST ON RECORD FOR HOUSTON...HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT AND
COLLEGE STATION AND IT WAS THE FIFTH COLDEST ON RECORD FOR GALVESTON.

      HERE ARE THE FIVE COLDEST AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURES
                                       JAN 1 THROUGH JAN 11

    HOUSTON     HOBBY APRT     GALVESTON     COLLEGE STN

    28.8 2010         30.9 2010            33.2 1887           27.2 2010
    30.3 1970        31.1 1942            33.9 1879           27.3 1970
    31.0 1979        31.5 1979            34.0 1942          27.3 1942
    31.1 1942         32.1 1970            35.0 1886           27.4 1979
    32.3 1977        32.5 1962           35.4 2010          29.2 1959

DECEMBER WAS RATHER COLD TOO. THE EARLIEST SNOWFALL ON RECORD
OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 4TH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR HOUSTON FOR
THE PERIOD DECEMBER 1ST THROUGH JANUARY 11TH WAS 47.2 DEGREES.
THIS IS THE 4TH COLDEST PERIOD IN CITY RECORDS. IT IS THE SECOND
COLDEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR HOBBY AIRPORT...THE FOURTH COLDEST
FOR GALVESTON AND THE FOURTH COLDEST FOR COLLEGE STATION

       HERE ARE THE FIVE COLDEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
                                      DEC 1 THROUGH JAN 11

    HOUSTON       HOBBY APRT       GALVESTON      COLLEGE STN

47.0 1989-90   48.3 1963-64     48.6 1878-79    44.4 1972-73
47.0 2000-01    48.4 2009-10       49.4 1876-77    44.9 2000-01
47.1 1976-77    48.5 1976-77       49.8 1989-90    44.9 1983-84
47.2 2009-10    48.6 1983-84       50.0 2009-10    45.1 2009-10
47.5 1983-84    48.8 2000-01       50.3 2000-01    45.3 1978-79

HERE IS ONE MORE MISCELLANEOUS FACT YOU CAN USE IF GOING ON
JEOPARDY AND THE CATEGORY IS HOUSTON WEATHER. HOUSTON HAS ENDURED
SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW THE
FREEZING MARK. THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVE STREAK OF SUB FREEZING DAYS
FOR HOUSTON IS 11 DAYS AND OCCURRED DURING DECEMBER 1983 AND
JANUARY 1940. IT IS THE SECOND LONGEST CONSECUTIVE STREAK OF
TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES FOR HOBBY AIRPORT (RECORD IS
11 DAYS IN DECEMBER 1983). EVEN GALVESTON IS GETTING INTO THE ACT.
THE ISLAND HAS SUFFERED FIVE CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF TEMPERATURES AT
OR BELOW 32 DEGREES. IT IS THE FIFTH LONGEST STREAK OF CONSECUTIVE
DAYS WITH THE TEMPERATURE AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES IN GALVESTON`S
LONG HISTORY. THE RECORD FOR THE ISLAND IS 10 DAYS BACK IN JANUARY
OF 1940.

WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL BE RETURNING TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY AND
IT LOOKS LIKE THE REGION WILL NOT RECEIVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF POLAR
AIR FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. WE WILL BE TRADING THE UNSEASONABLY
COLD TEMPERATURES FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN
TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK.

$$

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office