PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
208 PM CST TUE JAN 15 2013
...VERY DRY CONDITIONS EASE TOWARD THE END OF DECEMBER 2012...
A SLOW IMPROVEMENT IN THE VERY DRY CONDITIONS OCCURRED AS A SERIES
OF STORM SYSTEMS MOVED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH
OF DECEMBER 2012. THE MAJOR CLIMATE SITES SAW RAINFALL TOTALS
INCREASE FROM UNDER 1 INCH IN NOVEMBER TO OVER 2.5 TO UNDER 6 INCHES
IN DECEMBER. THIS WAS REFLECTED IN THE DROUGHT MONITOR WHICH CHANGED
FROM INCREASING DROUGHT CONDITIONS AT THE FIRST OF DECEMBER TO
IMPROVING CONDITIONS WITH DROUGHT IMPACTS EASING AT THE FIRST OF
JANUARY 2013.
THE SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS AND COLD FRONTS BROUGHT DECENT RAINFALL
OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE FIRST ROUND OF LIMITED RAINFALL OCCURRED
ON THE 3RD AND 4TH. BETTER RAINS FELL BETWEEN THE 8TH AND 10TH...
AND AGAIN ON THE 15TH AND 16TH...WITH SOME LOCATIONS RECEIVING JUST
UNDER 2 INCHES DURING BOTH OF THESE EVENTS. A WEAK FRONT BROUGHT
SOME RAINFALL ON THE 23RD...HOWEVER THREE MAJOR STORM SYSTEMS
GENERATED WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS FROM THE 25TH THROUGH THE END OF THE
MONTH.
DROUGHT CONDITIONS EASED BY THE END OF DECEMBER AS OPPOSED TO THE
FIRST OF THE MONTH. THE MONITOR RELEASED ON JANUARY 8TH SHOWED MOST
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS EITHER UNDER ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS OR IN A
MODERATE DROUGHT. ONLY THE FAR NORTHWESTERN SET OF COUNTIES WERE
CLASSIFIED AS IN SEVERE DROUGHT. PARTIALLY BECAUSE OF THE RAINFALL
SINCE MID DECEMBER...THE 3-MONTH DROUGHT OUTLOOK FOR JANUARY THROUGH
MARCH INDICATES THAT DROUGHT IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED TO EASE.
THE MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES VARIED FROM BELOW TO ABOVE NORMAL
AT THE MAJOR CLIMATE SITES. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WERE REPORTED
AT BOTH COLLEGE STATION AND INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT...WHILE ABOVE
NORMAL MONTHLY AVERAGES OCCURRED AT BOTH HOBBY AIRPORT AND SCHOLES
FIELD IN GALVESTON.
A FAIRLY WARM DECEMBER FOR AT LEAST THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA
HELPED 2012 BECOME ONE OF THE WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD. AT THE MAJOR
CLIMATE SITES...2012 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR THE CITY OF
HOUSTON...THE CITY OF GALVESTON...AND HOBBY AIRPORT. 2012 TIED 2011
AS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD AT COLLEGE STATION. THE FOLLOWING
TABLE DESCRIBES THE FIVE WARMEST YEAR-TO-DATE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
FOR THESE FOUR FIRST-ORDER CLIMATE SITES.
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR JANUARY 1 THROUGH DECEMBER 31
CITY OF HOUSTON CITY OF COLLEGE
HOUSTON HOBBY GALVESTON STATION
72.1 2012 72.6 2012 73.9 2012 71.6 2012
71.9 1962 72.4 2011 72.6 2006 71.6 2011
71.8 2011 72.3 1998 72.3 2011 70.9 1933
71.7 1933 71.4 2006 72.3 2005 70.7 1911
71.5 1965 71.4 2008 72.3 1999 70.4 1927
NOTE THAT THE 5TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON WAS
71.5 SET IN 1965 AND 1927. ALSO NOTE FOR THE CITY OF GALVESTON...
THE 3RD WARMEST YEAR OF 72.3 WAS SET IN TWO ADDITIONAL YEARS...1994
AND 1993.
NOW FOR THE GENERAL MONTHLY CLIMATE DATA...THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS
THE MONTHLY CLIMATE DATA FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND-ORDER CLIMATE
SITES IN THE NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON COUNTY WARNING AREA FOR THE MONTH
OF DECEMBER.
SITE AVG AVG AVG DEP RAIN DEP
HIGH LOW MONTH
IAH 69.9 47.5 58.7 +4.3 2.85 -0.89
GLS 68.9 54.3 61.6 +4.3 2.87 -0.65
CLL 68.4 45.7 56.9 +4.7 3.73 +0.50
HOU 71.0 50.6 60.8 +5.2 5.72 +1.69
UTS 66.6 45.9 56.2 +4.7 3.97 +0.12
CXO 68.2 42.9 55.5 +3.8 1.54 -2.42
DWH 69.8 44.3 57.1 +4.2 1.56 -2.24
SGR 71.1 47.0 59.1 +5.0 1.96 -1.64
LBX 71.9 47.0 59.4 +4.1 2.03 -1.74
PSX 73.0 51.0 62.0 +6.1 0.77 -2.01
LVJ 70.2 49.0 59.6 +4.7 6.27 +2.18
HGX 70.2 48.3 59.2 +4.9 4.26 +0.22
HERE ARE SOME DECEMBER TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL TOTALS AVAILABLE
FROM THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON AREA NETWORK OF CO-OP OBSERVERS THAT
HAVE REPORTED AS OF JANUARY 15TH.
LOCATION RAINFALL AVERAGE HIGH AVERAGE LOW
(INCHES) TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE
ANAHUAC 3.35 68.9 42.8
BAY CITY 0.95 70.4 49.2
BAYTOWN 4.48 68.2 47.3
BRENHAM 1.46 67.5 44.3
CLEVELAND 3.27 67.3 42.4
CONROE 0.97 66.8 46.5
DANEVANG 2.38 68.3 45.3
EAGLE LAKE 2.84 68.9 43.1
FREEPORT 1.43 71.1 52.0
HUNTSVILLE 3.33 63.3 43.7
LIBERTY 3.30 70.4 49.5
MADISONVILLE 1.89 66.0 39.4
THOMPSONS 5.13 73.2 47.5
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