PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
516 PM CST WED FEB 1 2006

...4TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD AT ABILENE...
...7TH WARMEST JANUARY FOR SAN ANGELO...

TEMPERATURES WERE WELL ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IN
JANUARY. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...EXCEPT FOR PARTS OF THE REGION SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM
BROWNWOOD TO SONORA.

AT ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY
WAS 52.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS 8.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 43.5 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS THE 4TH WARMEST JANUARY
ON RECORD FOR ABILENE. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY WAS 0.41
INCHES. THIS WAS 0.56 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.97
INCHES. NO SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED IN ABILENE IN JANUARY.

AT SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY
WAS 52.0 DEGREES. THIS WAS 7.1 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 44.9 DEGREES. THIS RANKS AS THE 7TH WARMEST JANUARY
ON RECORD AT SAN ANGELO. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY WAS ONLY
0.16 INCHES. THIS WAS 0.66 INCHES BELOW THE MONTHLY NORMAL OF 0.82
INCHES. NO SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED IN SAN ANGELO IN JANUARY.


JANUARY 2006 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS...

UNSEASONABLY WARM AND QUITE WINDY CONDITIONS OCCURRED ON NEW YEARS DAY
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...AS A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVED
INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. WITH VERY DRY AIR IN THE REGION...RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPED INTO THE 5 TO 15 PERCENT RANGE ACROSS MOST OF
THE AREA. WITH THESE CONDITIONS AND TINDER DRY RANGELAND...SEVERAL
GRASSFIRES OCCURRED IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. THE LARGEST OF THESE
OCCURRED IN THE WESTERN CONCHO VALLEY (NORTHWESTERN TOM GREEN...
SOUTHERN STERLING AND NORTHWESTERN IRION COUNTIES). PEAK WIND GUSTS
REACHED 49 MPH AT ABILENE AND 46 MPH AT SAN ANGELO. RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES (IN THE LOWER 80S) WERE TIED AT ABILENE AND SAN ANGELO...
WHILE JUNCTION RECORDED A HIGH OF 85 DEGREES.

THE VERY DRY PATTERN CONTINUED FROM DECEMBER THROUGH MOST OF JANUARY
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. DURING THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PARTS OF THE
MONTH...SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS
AND TRACKED NORTH OF THE REGION. THE PASSAGE OF THESE SYSTEMS BROUGHT
REINFORCEMENTS OF VERY DRY AIR TO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. WINDS WERE FROM
THE SOUTHWEST OR WEST WITH NO INFLUX OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF
MEXICO. DURING THESE OCCASIONS...UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES
OCCURRED. IN ABILENE...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE 3RD
AND 7TH...AND TIED ON THE 1ST. IN SAN ANGELO...RECORD HIGHS WERE
SET ON THE 3RD AND TIED ON THE 1ST. A FEW SPOTTY GRASS FIRES OCCURRED
ON A FEW DAYS WITH THE TINDER DRY RANGELAND CONDITIONS.

DAILY RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WERE OFTEN LESS THAN 25 PERCENT WITH
THE DRY AIRMASSES. WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES PREVAILING...DAILY
TEMPERATURE RANGES EXCEEDED 35 DEGREES (BETWEEN THE HIGH AND LOW
TEMPERATURES).

THE PASSAGE OF SEVERAL DRY COLD FRONTS DURING THE MONTH ALSO KEPT
VERY DRY AIR IN THE REGION. THESE COLD FRONTS WERE RELATIVELY WEAK
AND BROUGHT MODIFIED COOLER AIR INTO THE REGION.

LATE IN THE MONTH...A FEW UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVED INTO THE
REGION...WITH A TRACK FAR ENOUGH TO THE SOUTH...TO ALLOW FOR A MOISTURE
RETURN. THIS RESULTED IN HIGHER HUMIDITY LEVELS...AND SOME MUCH NEEDED
RAIN OCCURRED ON A FEW OCCASIONS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED DURING THE OVERNIGHT OF THE 21ST AND 22ND. MOST
OF THESE OCCURRED EAST OF HIGHWAY 277. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE QUARTER
TO ONE HALF INCH OCCURRED AT A FEW LOCATIONS ACROSS THE HEARTLAND.
AMOUNTS OF ONE TENTH TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OCCURRED EAST OF HIGHWAY
277. RAINFALL FROM A TRACE TO A TENTH OF AN INCH FELL AT SPOTTY
LOCATIONS WEST OF HIGHWAY 277.

MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS OCCURRED WITH THE APPROACH OF AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE ON THE 27TH. THE HEAVIEST RAIN (1 TO 2.5 INCHES) FELL IN A
BAND SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM BROWNWOOD TO SONORA. RAINFALL OF ONE
HALF TO ONE INCH OCCURRED OVER THE FAR NORTHERN AND WESTERN BIG COUNTRY
AND FAR NORTHWESTERN CONCHO VALLEY. ELSEWHERE THE AMOUNTS VARIED UNDER
ONE HALF INCH. GUSTY WEST WINDS OCCURRED AS THIS SYSTEM DEPARTED THE
REGION ON THE 28TH. PEAK GUSTS INCLUDED 43 MPH AT ABILENE AND 40 MPH
AT SAN ANGELO.

$$