PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
727 PM CST SAT DEC 31 2011
...2011 - A YEAR OF RECORD HEAT AND RECORD DROUGHT
THANKFULLY COMES TO AN END...
WHAT A YEAR! SOUTHEAST TEXAS ENDURED INTENSE HEAT...RECORD
DROUGHT AND DANGEROUS WILDFIRES. AT LEAST THE LOCUSTS DIDN`T SHOW
UP. THIS AREA NEVER ENDURED A SUMMER QUITE LIKE THE SUMMER OF 2011
WITH 100 DEGREE HEAT ALMOST DAILY DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
2011 WAS ONE OF THE WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TEXAS. ALTHOUGH THIS DATA IS PRELIMINARY...IT APPEARS THAT 2011
WILL END AS THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT
AND FOR THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION. THE CITY OF HOUSTON (BUSH
INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT) WILL END 2011 AS THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR
ON RECORD NEATLY SQUEEZED BETWEEN 1962 (WARMEST) AND 1933 (NOW 3RD
WARMEST). THE CITY OF GALVESTON TIED FOR IT`S SECOND WARMEST YEAR
ON RECORD TRAILING 2006 AS THE WARMEST YEAR.
HERE ARE THE FIVE WARMEST YEARS ON RECORD FOR EACH OF THE FIRST
ORDER CLIMATE SITES:
CITY OF HOUSTON CITY OF COLLEGE
HOUSTON HOBBY GALVESTON STATION
IAH HOU GLS CLL
71.9 1962 72.4 2011 72.6 2006 71.6 2011
71.8 2011 72.3 1998 72.3 2005 70.9 1933
71.7 1933 71.4 2006 72.3 1994 70.7 1933
71.5 1965 71.3 2008 72.3 1999 70.4 1927
71.5 1927 71.1 2009 72.3 2011# 70.4 1921
# 2005 AVG TEMP WAS 72.341
1994/99 TEMP WAS 72.308
2011 AVG TEMP WAS 72.275 (ROUNDING TO 72.3)
THE SIX MONTH PERIOD FROM MARCH 1ST THROUGH AUGUST 31ST WAS THE
WARMEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE VALUES WERE NOT
EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE. IF NOT FOR A RELATIVELY COOL JANUARY AND
DECEMBER...2011 WOULD HAVE EASILY BEEN THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD
FOR ALL OF OUR AREA CLIMATE SITES. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO FORGET
THE SUMMER OF 2011 WITH DAY AFTER DAY OF UNRELENTING HEAT. IF YOU
THOUGHT IT WAS HOT...WELL..IT WAS!!! BELOW ARE THE HALF YEAR
VALUES FOR THE PERIOD OF MARCH THROUGH AUGUST:
CITY OF HOUSTON CITY OF COLLEGE
HOUSTON HOBBY GALVESTON STATION
80.6 2011 80.4 2011 80.2 2011 80.9 2011
79.2 1963 78.5 1998 78.7 2006 79.2 1925
78.1 2009 78.3 2009 77.6 1994 78.4 2009
78.1 1962 78.3 2000 77.5 1991 77.8 1963
77.9 1953 78.1 2008 77.5 1995 77.7 2006
LET`S MOVE ON TO RAINFALL. 2011 ENDED ON A WET NOTE AND DESPITE
MOST OF 2011 BEING DOWNRIGHT ARID...THE YEAR AS A WHOLE WAS NOT
THE DRIEST ON RECORD. 2011 FINISHED AS ONE OF THE FIVE DRIEST
YEARS ON RECORD ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS.
THE DATA IS STILL PRELIMINARY...BUT 2011 WAS THE DRIEST YEAR ON
RECORD FOR HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT BUT NOT FOR THE OTHER FIRST ORDER
CLIMATE SITES. THE CITY OF HOUSTON RECEIVED 24.57 INCHES OF RAIN
IN 2011 AND THIS IS THE THIRD DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE CITY OF
COLLEGE STATION RECEIVED ONLY 19.97 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE PAST
YEAR AND THIS IS ALSO THE THIRD DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE CITY OF
GALVESTON RECEIVED 22.95 INCHES OF RAIN IN 2011 AND THIS IS THE
FIFTH DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD. MOST OF THE FIRST ORDER AND CO-OP
CLIMATE SITES RECEIVED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 AND 50 PERCENT OF
EXPECTED NORMAL RAINFALL. THE RAINFALL TOTALS THIS YEAR RIVAL THE
NORMAL RAINFALL VALUES FOR SOME CITIES IN WEST TEXAS. GALVESTON
AND HOUSTON RECEIVED 22.95 INCHES AND 24.57 INCHES OF RAIN
RESPECTIVELY WHICH COMPARES RATHER CLOSELY WITH THE NORMAL RAINFALL
VALUES FOR ABILENE (24.82 INCHES) AND SAN ANGELO (21.25 INCHES).
HERE ARE THE FIVE DRIEST YEARS FOR THE FIRST ORDER CLIMATE SITES:
CITY OF HOUSTON CITY OF COLLEGE
HOUSTON HOBBY GALVESTON STATION
17.66 1917 25.41 2011 21.40 1948 16.66 1917
22.93 1988 26.65 1988 21.43 1917 17.80 1988
24.57 2011 28.32 1956 21.84 1956 19.97 2011
27.09 1901 28.76 1954 22.29 1954 21.17 1948
27.23 1951 31.11 1931 22.95 2011 23.09 1956
NORMAL 49.77 54.65 50.76 40.06
ANYONE WHO LIVED HERE THIS YEAR KNOWS HOW DRY THE SPRING AND
SUMMER WAS. BELOW ARE THE SIX MONTH RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE PERIOD
OF MARCH 1ST THROUGH AUGUST 31ST:
CITY OF HOUSTON CITY OF COLLEGE
HOUSTON HOBBY GALVESTON STATION
5.21 2011 6.81 2011 5.35 2011 7.26 2011
10.42 1917 10.77 1956 7.30 1956 8.10 1925
11.90 1901 12.30 1964 7.37 1948 8.77 1917
12.27 1965 12.56 1998 8.47 1963 10.26 1988
12.47 1998 13.81 1963 8.85 1954 10.52 1978
A MORE DETAILED PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED ON OR
AROUND JANUARY 7TH WITH FIRST ORDER CLIMATE SITE TEMPERATURE AND
RAINFALL DATA...CO-OP TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL DATA AND A BRIEF
NARRATIVE SUMMARY WHICH WILL SUMMARIZE THE PAST 12 MONTHS.
PERIOD OF RECORD:
CITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN 1889-1969 IAH 1969-2011
HOUSTON HOBBY 1930-2011
CITY OF GALVESTON DOWNTOWN 1871-1996 GLS 1997-2011
COLLEGE STATION CO-OP 1911-1951 CLL 1951-2011
CR
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http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/?n=pns_2011summary
