Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 161
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TEXAS WEATHER. 161
averaging about forty-eight years. The rec-
ords in this table show what may be expected
as extreme conditions in the various parts of
'he state. In some instances they represent
the absolute extreme record, including all
stations; in other instances, records of greater
extremity have been recorded by minor
stations.
The highest temperature ever recorded at
any Texas weather station was 120 degrees
F., at Seymour, Baylor County, Aug. 12, 1936.
The lowest temperature ever recorded was 23
degrees below zero at Tulia, Swisher County,
Feb. 12, 1899, and again at Seminole, Gaines
County, Feb. 8, 1933. The coldest winter in
Texas history was that of 1898-99, according
to best records. The year of heaviest rainfall
was 1919 when the state average was 45.64
inches; the year of lightest precipitation was
1917, with only 16.21 inches. (See table below )
The greatest rainfall ever recorded at any
Texas weather "station during twenty-four
consecutive hours was at Taylor, Williamson
County, where 23.11 inches fell during parts
of Sept. 9 and 10, 1921. (See below.) This
record is included in the table, p. 162. The
highest wind velocity ever recorded in Texas
was 95 miles an hour at Corpus Christi,
Sept. 14, 1919. Possibly a higher velocity was
reached during the Galveston hurricane of
Sept. 8-9, 1900, but the anemometer was
blown away when the rising wind reached 65
miles an hour. A velocity of 71 miles an hour
was recorded during the second great hurri-
cane at Galveston Aug. 17, 1915. This record
is carried in the table on p. 162 as the highest
velocity ever attained at Galveston because it
is the highest velocity ever actually recorded
there.
Colorful Texas Weather.
Texas' weather variety and characteristics
are widely recorded in song and story. Most
peculiarly Texan is the norther, the north and
northwest winds that sweep over the northern
and central portions of the state at irregular
intervals in winter. They come down with
areas of high barometric pressure out of the
Rocky Mountains and High Plains areas,
causing abrupt drops in temperature, usually
bringing freezing but not severely cold weath-
er. There are also some "tall tales" of West
Texas sandstorms; they are spectacular and
disagreeable, but they are infrequent and sel-
dom cause property damage. The dust storms
which developed in the dust bowl of North-
west Texas and in the western parts of Okla-
homa, Kansas and Nebraska in 1934 and 1935
were caused by (1) an exceptional drouth and
(2) too great destruction of the earth cover-
ing of native grasses. By widespread planting
of grass seed, and through nature's own proc-
esses, this earth cover has been restored.
They can be prevented in the future by care-
ful cultivation methods and prevention of
overstocking of ranges.
Types of Storms.
The three types of storms that occasionally
cause severe loss of life and property in
Texas are (1) the tornadoes which occur
widely throughout the Gulf Southwest and
Mississippi watershed, frequently causing
great destruction in small areas; (2) the troD-
ical hurricanes that occasionally strike the
Gulf Coast, and (3) the excessive rainstorms
which result primarily from Texas' position
midway between the high plateau and moun-
tains on the west and northwest, and the
warm Gulf waters on the southeast.
Destructive Storms.
The most destructive of all storms in the
history of Texas was the Galveston Hurricane
of Sept. 8 and 9, 1900, tropical hurricane. So
great was the loss of life that it was never
known, but it was estimated at a minimum of
5,000 and a maximum of 8,000. Property dam-
age was estimated at $30,000,000.
The greatest Texas rainstorm of record wasthat of Sept. 6-10. 1921. It entered Mexico from
the Gulf and moved northeastward through
Texas, reaching its maximum recorded pre-
cipitation at Taylor, Williamson County, where
seventeen inches fell during the first calendar
day of a two-day period and thirteen inches
on the second calendar day. In a twenty-four-
hour period overlapping parts of these 'two
days, the astounding precipitation of 23.11
inches was recorded. Damage along the storm's
path through South. Central and East Texas
was estimated at $10,000,000 to $17,000,000
with a loss of 224 lives. Another great rain-
storm which came in as a tropical hurricane
was that which struck Galveston Aug. 17.
1915, sometimes called the second Galveston
hurricane, and continued its path through
Texas for three days. reaching a maximum
one-day precipitation of 18.5 inches at San
Augustine. Damage at Galveston and other
points amounted to $50.000,000, and 275 lives
were lost. The hurricane often referred to as
the Corpus Christi storm struck that city
Sept. 14, 1919, and continued for two or three
days, causing $20,000,000 property damage
and loss of 284 lives in Corpus Christi and
adjacent territory.
Two storms have been notable for the re-
sulting Brazos River floods. The first of these
occurred June 27 to July 1, 1899. At Turners-
ville, Coryell County, thirty-three inches were
recorded in three days, and an average of 8.9
inches fell over an area of 66,000 square
miles, largely in the Brazos Basin. The Brazos
reached an all-time flood stage. Property dam-
age was estimated at $9,000,000, and about
thirty-five lives were lost. There was another
great Brazos flood, resulting from the storm
of Dec 1 to 5, 1913, which brought disaster to
a number of other watersheds, resulting in
$8,000,000 damage and loss of 180 lives. The
two greatest rainstorms of recent years were
(1) that of July 22 to 27, 1933, which moved
through the Gulf Coast and East Texas coun-
ties, recording as much as 20.3 inches for the
storm period and averaging seven inches over
an area of 94,000 square miles, and (2) that of
July 16 to 25, 1938, which caused a great flood
in the Colorado River, as result of precipita-
tion which reached a maximum of twenty
inches for the storm period in San Saba
County. A Gulf storm did much damage in the
Lower Rio Grande Valley Sept. 5, 1933.
Average Texas Precipitation, 1886-1946.
Below is average precipitation for the entire
state for each year. 1886 to 1946. inclusive.
according to the US Weather BureauYear- Inches
1886 ............22 75
1887 ............27 88
1888 ............42 30
1889 ............38.06
1890 ............34 62
1891 ............30.45
1892 ............29 40
1893 ............20 47
1894 ............27.65
1895 ............32 92
1896 ............27 41
1897 ............27 32
1898 ............28 43
1899 ............28 70
1900 ............42.17
1901 ............22 23
1902 ............33.92
1903 ............33.03
1904 ............30 02
1905 ............41.73
1906 ............31.51
1907 ............33.86
1908 ............32.91
1909 ...........23 45
1910 ...........21 46
911 ............29.13
912 . 26.12
1913 ............36 05
1914 ............37 88
1915 ............32 01
1916 ............24.59Year- Inches
1917 ............16.21
1918 ............28 90
1919 ............45 64
1920 ...........34 24
1921 ...........28.64
1922 ............32.91
1923 ...........40.34
1924 ............23 50
1925 ............25.79
1926 ............36.33
19'27 ...........27.77
1928 ............29 03
1929 ............31 17
1930 ............29 67
1931 ............29.26
1932 ............34.06
1933 ............25.96
1934 ............26 78
1935 ............37.48
1936 ...........30.71
1937 ...........26.78
1938 ...........27.18
1939 ............24.69
1940 ...........35.04
1941 ...........43.53
1942 ...........33.23
1943 ...........25.39
1944 ............36.18
1945 ............33.46
1946 ............37 97
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Texas Almanac, 1947-1948, book, 1947; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117136/m1/163/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.