Texas Almanac, 2000-2001 Page: 86
672 p. : col. ill., ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Texas Almanac 2000-2001
A subdivision in Jarrell was destroyed by this F5 tornado on the
afternoon of May 27, 1997. An outbreak of several tornadoes kill
27 people and injured many more in three Central Texas counties
AP file photo.
June brought below-average temperatures, with April aver-
aging nearly six degrees cooler across the entire state. July
temperatures were slightly above normal, and August was
split roughly north and south, with the northern portions of
Texas just under their average and the south a little above
average. September brought above-average temperatures
for all 10 climate regions (+2.50), while near-normal tempera-
tures returned in October. The year ended on a cool note
with both November and December bringing cooler-than-
average temperatures for all regions of the state. Except for
January, the first half of 1997 was wetter than usual, while
most regions in the second half of the year had below-aver-
age precipitation. Exceptions were the southern and coastal
regions in October and most of the state in December,
when eight of the 10 regions recorded above-average rain-
fall.
January's temperatures, within one degree of average
for all regions, were accompanied by less-than-average rain-
fall. The Southern and Low Rolling Plains regions received
only 41 percent and 47 percent of their monthly averages,
respectively, while the High Plains and Upper Coast had
slightly more rainfall than usual. February had only slight
temperature anomalies, but higher-than-normal precipitation
for all but the Southern and Lower Valley divisions. The larg-
est surpluses were in the Trans-Pecos (288 percent),
Edwards Plateau (397 percent), Low Rolling Plains (333 per-
cent), North Central (324 percent) and the East Region (246
percent).
March brought warmer-than-normal temperatures to all
climatic regions, ranging from 1.5F above normal in the
Lower Valley to 3.7F above normal in the Upper Coast.
March was the first of four consecutive months of above-
average rainfall for nearly the entire state. Only the High
Plains and the Low Rolling Plains had precipitation deficits in
March, while the Upper Coast and Southern regions had
approximately three times their usual rainfall. The Lower Val-
ley averaged 6.5", 10 times their normal. Excess rainfall con-
tinued into April, with all regions averaging more than twice
Average Temperatures 1998
Jan. 41.5 45.4 8.7 50.4 49.2 51.7 58.1 58.3 61.1 5.5
Feb. 43.0 46.6 50.2 51.0 49.6 52.0 56.9 57.1 60.7 64.6
Mar. 45.3 50.2 53.7 55.2 55.5 56.5 60.8 61.0 64.6 67.9
April 55.2 60.2 62.5 62.6 63.0 65.5 67.4 67.6 72.0 72.9
May 71.5 76.7 77.0 76.3 76.9 79.3 79.5 78.8 83.3 81.6
June 78.7 83.9 83.9 84.2 84.1 84.5 86.2 84.7 89.4 87.7
July 82.6 87.8 88.7 88.3 83.9 87.1 87.5 86.1 89.6 87.8
Aug. 77.3 82.7 85.2 84.9 79.6 81.6 84.8 84.7 86.2 87.5
Sep. 75.8 80.6 81.5 80.9 77.8 78.7 81.9 82.4 82.9 83.1
Oct. 62.5 67.5 68.9 68.4 68.1 68.7 72.7 73.7 74.1 77.0
Nov. 50.4 55.0 57.7 58.5 57.8 59.1 64.6 65.5 66.6 71.5
Dec. 39.6 43.3 46.9 49.5 47.3 48.3 55.0 56.4 57.1 61.5
Ann. 60.3865.0 67.1 67.566.1 67.8 71.3 71. 74. 75.7their usual totals. These rain events kept temperature
averages down for the state in April, ranging from
4.40F below normal for the Upper Coast to 7.40F
below normal for the High Plains.
This pattern of above-average rain and below-
average temperatures continued into May and June,
although less extreme. May temperatures were gen-
erally only one to three degrees below normal, and
June temperatures were about one to two degrees
below normal. Unlike April, there were several
regions that had precipitation deficits in May and
June. The Low Rolling Plains and parts of northern
and eastern Texas recorded less-than-average rain-
fall in May, and the Upper Coast and the Lower Valley
had slightly more than half their usual rain for the
month of June.
July, August and September were drier and
warmer than normal for most of Texas. The southern
half of the state showed the most temperature
excesses in July and August, with typical averages of
one to two degrees above the mean, while in August,
the entire state was two to three degrees warmer than
ed usual. Rainfall amounts in July ranged from 71 per-
s. cent of normal in the Low Rolling Plains to only 5 per-
cent in the Lower Valley; no region in the southern half
averaged more than half of their usual rainfall. For
southern parts of Texas, the lack of sufficient rain con-
tinued into August and September, while the northern
regions received above average rain in August.
October brought much-needed rain to South Texas,
where some locations hadn't received significant amounts
since spring. Northern and western Texas recorded little rain
in October and November, but December brought more
than three times the usual amount to the High Plains, the
Low Rolling Plains and the North Central regions. Tempera-
tures were below normal for regions in both November and
December. November anomalies were three to four degrees
below normal for most of the state, while in December tem-
peratures were one to three degrees cooler than normal.
Weather Highlights - 1998
January 4-7: An Arctic cold front moved across the
northwestern half of north Texas as an upper-level distur-
bance moved into the Southern Plains. Widespread rain and
thunderstorms developed across the area. More than four
inches of rain fell between Dallas and Bonham, and another
four inches fell from Temple to Fairfield. Flash flooding
resulted, as the soil was already saturated from the unusually
wet December 1997. Many roads were flooded and vehicles
became stranded in the rising waters. At Irving (Dallas Co.),
a boy drowned in fast-moving flood waters after he jumped
off a bridge into a swollen stream. The front remained sta-
tionary through the 7th, and each rain event triggered
another period of flash flooding. A three-day total of seven
inches was reported from Arlington to Bonham, and five to
10 inches fell in a band through Temple, Waco, Corsicana
and Tyler. This was the third-wettest January for the Dallas/
Fort Worth area and the second-wettest in the Waco area.
February 10: In Medina County, hail propelled by winds
estimated at over 80 mph broke windows and destroyed veg-
etation across the southeast corner of the county shortly
after sunrise. Hail piled up to three feet deep in some loca-
tions, and piles were still visible at noon when the National
Precipitation 1998
(Inches)
Jan. 0.16 0.85 4.16 6.96 0.07 1.09 1.87 6.37 0.99 0.26
Feb. 1.25 1.80 3.48 5.34 0.18 1.85 4.63 5.22 2.98 3.24
Mar. 2.12 2.86 4.13 3.34 0.28 2.59 2.20 2.44 1.65 0.85
April 0.60 0.40 1.26 1.75 0.01 0.23 0.70 0.83 0.15 0.09
May 0.84 1.43 1.39 1.09 0.19 0.91 0.25 0.05 0.02 0.00
June 0.38 1.31 1.74 1.04 0.56 1.89 0.94 3.26 0.74 0.11
July 2.02 0.87 1.12 1.30 1.56 0.73 1.17 1.76 0.40 0.28
Aug. 2.35 1.36 1.77 3.61 2.23 7.75 6.28 5.97 5.26 0.93
Sep. 0.31 0.26 3.18 7.94 0.43 1.60 6.78 13.49 4.12 9.61
Oct. 4.32 2.66 5.44 7.67 2.11 3.2512.89 7.94 5.54 5.56
Nov. 1.15 1.55 4.13 6.71 0.65 2.58 5.24 6.50 2.46 3.42
Dec. 0.42 0.47 3.55 5.35 0.33 0.95 1.80 3.30 0.34 0.49
Ann. 15.92 15.8 35.35 52.10 8.60 25.42 44.75 57.13 24.65 24.84
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Ramos, Mary G. Texas Almanac, 2000-2001, book, 1999; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162509/m1/86/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.