PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 800 PM CST SAT APR 1 2006 ...MARCH TEMPERATURES MUCH WARMER THAN NORMAL... ...RAINFALL DEFICITS ALONG THE COAST CONTINUE TO GROW... RAINFALL IN MARCH WAS GENERALLY BELOW NORMAL OVER MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THERE WERE POCKETS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL THAT OCCURRED LATE IN THE MONTH OVER AREAS NORTHWEST OF A CALDWELL TO MADISONVILLE LINE AND ALSO OVER PARTS OF WHARTON...FORT BEND AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 2 TO 4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AREAWIDE. GALVESTON RECORDED IT'S SEVENTH WARMEST MARCH IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ON THE ISLAND CITY WAS 67.3 DEGREES. THIS IS 3.2 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. GALVESTON'S WARMEST MARCH OF 70.4 DEGREES OCCURRED BACK IN 1907. SINCE JANUARY 1ST...GALVESTON HAS ONLY RECEIVED 2.59 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS IS GALVESTON'S FOURTH DRIEST START TO THE YEAR IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE FIVE DRIEST JAN-MAR FOR GALVESTON ARE: 1.30 INCHES IN 1916 2.16 INCHES IN 1976 2.57 INCHES IN 1904 2.59 INCHES IN 2006 3.17 INCHES IN 1954 OVERALL...MARCH WEATHER WAS RATHER BENIGN. THERE WERE TWO EPISODES OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER. THE FIRST EVENT OCCURRED ON MARCH 20TH AND THE SECOND EVENT ON MARCH 28TH. PENNY SIZED HAIL AND URBAN FLOODING WERE THE TWO WEATHER PHENOMENA MOST COMMONLY REPORTED. SITE AVG AVG AVG DEP RAIN DEP HIGH LOW DAILY IAH 75.2 55.9 65.6 +3.3 2.36 -1.00 GLS 73.6 61.0 67.3 +3.2 1.35 -1.41 CLL 74.5 55.2 64.9 +3.3 4.80 +1.96 HOU 75.0 57.5 66.2 -2.0 1.48 -1.71 CXO 75.4 52.1 63.7 +2.6 2.82 -0.09 UTS 73.9 54.4 64.2 +3.7 2.29 -1.18 DWH 76.7 55.7 66.2 +4.0 1.94 -0.64 SGR 75.4 55.9 65.6 +2.6 1.26 -1.23 LVJ 75.3 57.5 66.4 +3.6 1.12 -1.03 HGX 74.3 56.5 65.4 +3.7 1.24 -2.27 LBX 75.9 55.0 65.5 +2.8 4.24 +1.53 PSX 77.0 59.2 68.1 +6.0 0.85 -1.85 && RECORDS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES GALVESTON 84 DEGREES ON THE 9TH 80 DEGREES IN 1984 78 DEGREES ON THE 11TH 76 DEGREES IN 1951 81 DEGREES ON THE 13TH 79 DEGREES IN 1961 80 DEGREES ON THE 20TH 78 DEGREES IN 1907 RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES HOUSTON 36 DEGREES ON THE 25TH 46 DEGREES IN 1958 COLLEGE STATION 31 DEGREES ON THE 24TH (TIED) 31 DEGREES IN 1952 RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE HOUSTON 54 DEGREES ON THE 23RD 59 DEGREES IN 1952 RECORD HIGH MINIMUM HOUSTON 72 DEGREES ON THE 11TH 69 DEGREES IN 1974 72 DEGREES ON THE 12TH 68 DEGREES IN 1982 71 DEGREES ON THE 31ST 69 DEGREES IN 1967 COLLEGE STATION 70 DEGREES ON THE 11TH (TIED) 70 DEGREES IN 1974 71 DEGREES ON THE 12TH 69 DEGREES IN 1982 RECORD RAINFALL COLLEGE STATION 1.65 INCHES ON THE 20TH 1.40 INCHES IN 1941 2.87 INCHES ON THE 28TH 1.14 INCHES IN 1989 $$