PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 538 AM CDT SUN JUN 1 2008 ...MAY WAS WARMER THAN NORMAL... ...RAINFALL VARIED ACROSS THE REGION... MAY WAS A MONTH FILLED WITH EXTREMES. THERE WERE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER DURING THE MONTH...MOST NOTABLY ON THE 14TH... 15TH AND 27TH. THERE WAS WIND DAMAGE WALKER...BURLESON AND SAN JACINTO COUNTIES ON THE 14TH. MORE WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED ON THE 15TH ACROSS PARTS OF MADISON...GRIMES...BRAZOS...TRINITY AND HOUSTON COUNTIES. THE SAME AREA REFERENCED ABOVE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL WIND DAMAGE ON THE 27TH WITH TREES AND POWER POLES BLOWN DOWN BY HIGH WINDS DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE MONTH WAS RATHER WARM WITH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ONE AND TWO DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. THE END OF THE MONTH WAS PARTICULARLY WARM WITH 12 OUT OF THE LAST 13 DAYS REACHING OR EXCEEDING 90 DEGREES. BOTH COLLEGE STATION AND HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT HAD 14 DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN 90 DEGREES. HOUSTON HOBBY HAD 16 DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES. TYPICALLY IN MAY...THE TEMPERATURE REACHES OR EXCEEDS 90 DEGREES ON SEVEN DAYS. GALVESTON DID NOT RECORD ANY 90 DEGREE DAYS BUT THE CITY TIED FOR IT`S FOURTH WARMEST MAY IN RECORDED HISTORY. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH GALVESTON`S WARMEST MAY TEMPERATURES: 79.6 - 2003 79.1 - 1996 79.0 - 1933 78.9 - 2008 78.9 - 2000 78.5 - 2006 IN ADDITION TO THE RECORD WARMTH...GALVESTON WAS EXCEEDINGLY DRY. ONLY 0.02 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN GALVESTON DURING THE MONTH. THIS TIES FOR THE THIRD DRIEST MAY IN RECORDED HISTORY. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH THE DRIEST MAY RAINFALL RECORDS: TRACE - 1978 TRACE - 1899 0.02 - 2008 0.02 - 1998 0.02 - 1996 0.03 - 1886 0.07 - 2003 AREAS ALONG THE COAST CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM A SHORTAGE OF PRECIPITATION. MOST AREAS WITHIN ABOUT 50 MILES OF THE COAST RECEIVED AN INCH OF RAIN OR LESS DURING THE MONTH. RAINFALL TOTALS IN APRIL WERE ALSO RATHER SPARSE AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP. GALVESTON RECEIVED 1.88 INCHES IN MARCH... 0.66 INCHES IN APRIL AND 0.02 IN MAY FOR A THREE MONTH TOTAL OF 2.56 INCHES. THIS IS THE EIGHTH DRIEST MARCH THROUGH MAY IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE DRIEST MARCH THROUGH MAY WAS 1963 (0.81 INCHES). PROSPECTS FOR RAIN DO NOT LOOK VERY PROMISING FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES DURING EARLY JUNE AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINS PARKED OVER TEXAS. FURTHER INLAND...SEVERAL CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL TO AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10. THROUGH MAY 31ST...YEAR TO DATE RAINFALL AT COLLEGE STATION WAS NEAR NORMAL...HOUSTON WAS ABOUT TWO INCHES DRIER THAN NORMAL AND GALVESTON WAS ABOUT SIX INCHES DRIER THAN NORMAL. HERE IS THE MONTHLY CLIMATE DATA FOR SEVERAL SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS SITE AVG AVG DAILY DEP RAIN DEP HIGH LOW IAH 87.1 68.5 77.8 +2.0 4.57 -0.58 GLS 84.0 73.8 78.9 +2.0 0.02 -3.68 CLL 85.8 67.4 76.6 +1.3 4.30 -0.75 HOU 87.6 71.4 79.5 +2.5 0.99 -4.12 CXO 86.0 64.6 75.3 +0.7 5.18 -0.44 UTS 86.0 66.5 76.3 +1.9 2.07 -3.01 PSX 85.2 72.0 78.6 +2.9 0.16 -4.39 LBX 85.3 69.2 77.2 +0.9 0.22 -4.54 DWH 86.5 67.3 76.9 +0.8 4.38 NA LVJ 86.5 70.5 78.5 +2.4 0.48 -3.27 SGR 87.9 69.7 78.8 +1.6 0.55 -3.07 HGX 84.9 69.9 77.4 +2.0 1.16 -3.42 HERE ARE SOME THE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTALS FROM A FEW OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL CO-OP SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS: ALVIN 0.02 ANAHUAC 2.92 BAY CITY 0.32 BAYTOWN 5.75 BELLVILLE 2.81 BRENHAM 4.55 CLEVELAND 4.75 COLUMBUS 0.25 DANEVANG 0.32 FREEPORT 0.22 HOU WESTBURY 1.97 LIVINGSTON 2.90 MATAGORDA 0.27 SOMERVILLE 3.13 WASH ST PARK 6.24 $$