PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO, TX
443 PM CDT MON JUN 01 1998
...THE WARMEST MAY ON RECORD IS SET IN ABILENE...WHILE SAN ANGELO
ENDS UP WITH ITS SECOND WARMEST MAY ON RECORD...
...LONG DRY SPELLS...HAZE...AND SEVERE WEATHER ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER FOR MAY...
AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR MAY
WAS 79.2 DEGREES...WHICH SETS A NEW RECORD FOR THE WARMEST MAY. THE
OLD RECORD WAS 78.8 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED IN 1896. THE AVERAGE MEAN
TEMPERATURE FOR ABILENE IN MAY IS 72.7 DEGREES. A DAILY RECORD HIGH
WAS SET ON MAY 31 IN ABILENE.
AT MATHIS FIELD IN SAN ANGELO...THE MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR MAY
WAS 80.0 DEGREES...RESULTING IN THE SECOND WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. THE
WARMEST MAY ON RECORD OCCURRED IN 1996...WITH A MONTHLY MEAN
TEMPERATURE OF 80.7 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR SAN
ANGELO IN MAY IS 74.2 DEGREES. DAILY RECORD HIGHS WERE TIED OR SET ON
THE 8TH...20TH...AND THE 31ST IN SAN ANGELO.
IN OTHER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAY...THE LONGEST KNOWN CONTINUOUS
DRY SPELL IN THE SPRING SEASON FOR SAN ANGELO WAS SET AT 59 STRAIGHT
DAYS AS NO MEASURABLE RAIN FELL AT MATHIS FIELD BETWEEN MARCH 28 AND
MAY 25. THE DRY SPELL FOR MOST OF SAN ANGELO WAS ONE DAY SHORTER...AS
A STORM THAT JUST MISSED THE AIRPORT ON MEMORIAL DAY PRODUCED OVER
1/2 INCH OF RAIN IN MOST OF THE CITY. A DAY LATER ON MAY 26TH...A
LINE OF POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS SWEPT ACROSS ALL OF TOM GREEN
COUNTY...PRODUCING 1.75 INCHES OF RAIN AT THE AIRPORT AND OVER AN
INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAIN ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CITY. AT THE PEAK
OF THIS STORM...AN INCH OF RAIN ACCUMULATED IN JUST 9 MINUTES AT
MATHIS FIELD.
ANOTHER NOTABLE WEATHER EVENT FOR THE MONTH OF MAY WAS THE UNUSUALLY
HAZY SKIES OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. WIDESPREAD FIRES IN MEXICO AND
CENTRAL AMERICA PRODUCED LARGE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE WHICH WAS CARRIED
INTO TEXAS BY THE UPPER LEVEL WINDS. IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...THE HAZE
WAS THICKEST OVER THE NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY BUT ALL OF THE REGION
HAD REDUCED VISIBILITIES FOR MANY DAYS DURING THE MONTH. THE HAZE WAS
AT ITS WORST ON MAY 14TH...WHEN VISIBILITIES AT ABILENE...SAN
ANGELO...AND JUNCTION WERE BETWEEN 1 AND 3 MILES FOR MUCH OF THE DAY.
THE MAIN REASON FOR THE HOT AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
WAS A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT THAT REMAINED OVER THE
STATE...FORCING THE MAIN STORM TRACK TO THE NORTH OF TEXAS. ALTHOUGH
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WARMED INTO THE 90S AND EVEN ABOVE 100 DEGREES
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH...THE AIR ABOVE THE SURFACE WAS ALSO WARM WHICH
ACTED AS A CAP THAT PREVENTED THUNDERSTORMS FROM FORMING ON MOST
DAYS. ONLY A FEW UPPER AIR DISTURBANCES MANAGED TO BE STRONG ENOUGH
TO BREAK THIS CAP...WHICH RESULTED IN THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS
DESCRIBED BELOW.
THERE WERE FEWER SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS THAN AVERAGE OVER WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS IN MAY...BUT SEVERAL AREAS STILL REPORTED SEVERE WEATHER. ON
MAY 8...A PAIR OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS MARCHED ACROSS HASKELL AND
THROCKMORTON COUNTIES...PRODUCING HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE AND A
BRIEF TORNADO. ON MAY 15...A SMALLER SEVERE WEATHER EVENT PRODUCED
3/4 INCH HAIL AND MINOR WIND DAMAGE OVER PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN BIG
COUNTRY AND NORTHWEST CONCHO VALLEY.
THE BIGGEST OUTBREAKS OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE
EVENINGS OF MAY 25 AND 26. ON MEMORIAL DAY...MAY 25...A PAIR OF
SEVERE STORMS MOVED ACROSS THE WESTERN BIG COUNTRY...PRODUCING HAIL
OF GOLF BALL SIZE OR GREATER IN COLORADO CITY AND ROTAN. ANOTHER
STORM THAT SPAWNED A TORNADO AND BASEBALL SIZE HAIL IN CENTRAL IRION
COUNTY THEN MOVED ACROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANGELO AND PRODUCED GOLF
BALL SIZE HAIL OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CITY. ADDITIONAL LATE
NIGHT STORMS PRODUCED BRIEF TORNADOES AND HAIL UP TO GOLF BALL SIZE
OVER THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN CONCHO VALLEY.
ON MAY 26...A LARGE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPED IN NORTHERN
TOM GREEN COUNTY PRODUCED EXTENSIVE FLOODING IN GRAPE CREEK AND QUAIL
VALLEY...AS WELL AS HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE. THIS STORM MOVED VERY
SLOWLY AND DAMAGED SEVERAL BUILDINGS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF SAN
ANGELO...THEN PRODUCED TWO TORNADOES IN THE VICINITY OF VERIBEST THAT
CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. A LINE OF STORMS THEN MOVED ACROSS THE
CONCHO VALLEY AND THE HEARTLAND DURING THE LATE EVENING AND PRODUCED
VERY HEAVY RAIN...HIGH WINDS...AND MINOR DAMAGE.
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DEUTSCHENDORF
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