PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
126 PM CDT WED APR 1 2009

            ...RAINFALL RETURNS TO NORMAL LEVELS...

             ...MARCH TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL...

RAINFALL RETURNED TO THE REGION IN MARCH. THE MONTH STARTED OUT
DRY. A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSED THE REGION ON MARCH 11TH. A FEW
SHOWERS DEVELOPED ALONG THE FRONT BUT STRONG ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE
BEHIND THE FRONT TRIGGERED WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN
THROUGH MARCH 15TH. ANOTHER DRY SPELL ENSUED UNTIL THE END OF THE
MONTH. STRONG STORMS ERUPTED ON THE 25TH...26TH AND 27TH AS A WEAK
FRONT WAFFLED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCES MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. BASEBALL
SIZED HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 100 MPH AFFECTED AREAS FROM CONROE TO
CLEVELAND. IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER...THE STORMS ALSO
BROUGHT VERY WELCOME RAINFALL. SOUTHEAST TEXAS WAS SUFFERING FROM
SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THE AREA IS STILL SUFFERING A
RAINFALL DEFICIT BUT CONDITIONS ARE MARKEDLY BETTER THAN EARLIER
IN THE MONTH. COLLEGE STATION RECEIVED 5.07 INCHES DURING MARCH.
THIS TOTAL IS LARGER THAN THE COMBINED RAINFALL OF OCTOBER...
NOVEMBER...DECEMBER...JANUARY AND FEBRUARY (4.25 INCHES).

TEMPERATURES WERE GENERALLY NEAR NORMAL. NONE OF THE PRIMARY OF
SUPPLEMENTAL CLIMATE SITES HAVE YET TO REACH 90 DEGREES. HOUSTON
DID ESTABLISH TWO RECORD LOW MAXIMUMS IN THE WAKE OF A STRONG COLD
FRONT. BELOW IS A TABLE OF TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL DATA FOR THE
PRIMARY AND SUPPLEMENTAL CLIMATE SITES:

SITE     AVG     AVG     AVG     DEP     RAIN     DEP
         HIGH    LOW     DAILY

IAH      73.2    52.5    62.8    +0.5    4.08     +0.72
GLS      70.1    57.1    63.6    -0.5    3.73     +0.97
CLL      73.2    51.1    62.2    +0.6    5.07     +2.23
HOU      72.9    54.1    63.5    -0.7    2.52     -0.67
CXO      72.1    48.9    60.5    -0.6    4.14     +1.23
UTS      71.5    50.2    60.8    +0.3    3.31     -0.16
PSX      73.3    55.5    64.4    +2.3    2.07     -0.63
DWH      73.1    50.1    61.6    -0.6    4.76     +2.18
LVJ      72.0    52.7    62.4    -0.4    2.13     -0.02
SGR      74.2    52.4    63.3    +0.3    3.91     +1.42
HGX      70.7    52.6    61.7    +0.0    2.17     -1.34

RECORDS:

RECORD LOW MAXIMUM
IAH
NEW RECORD              PREVIOUS RECORD
46 DEGREES ON 03/13     49 DEGREES IN 1956
48 DEGREES ON 03/14     52 DEGREES IN 1976

CLL
43 DEGREES ON 03/13     44 DEGREES IN 1956

RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
IAH
NEW RECORD             PREVIOUS RECORD
68 DEGREES ON 03/07    68 DEGREES IN 1974
71 DEGREES ON 03/10    70 DEGREES IN 1974

CLL
69 DEGREES ON 03/08    68 DEGREES IN 1964

$$