NOUS44 KFWD 011630 PNSDFW TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-311200- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1130 AM CDT WED OCT 1 2008 ...DALLAS/FORT WORTH CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR SEPTEMBER 2008... HURRICANE GUSTAV MADE LANDFALL IN LOUISIANA ON SEPTEMBER 1...AND ITS REMNANTS PASSED THROUGH SHREVEPORT AND TEXARKANA. GUSTY WINDS WERE WIDESPREAD ACROSS NORTH TEXAS BUT FEW AREAS SAW ANY RAINFALL. FROM COOPER TO PARIS...RAINFALL TOTALS WERE 1 TO 2 INCHES...WITH HIGHER TOTALS FURTHER EAST CLOSER TO THE CENTER OF GUSTAV. HOWEVER...THE VAST MAJORITY OF NORTH TEXAS RECEIVED NO RAINFALL. ALTHOUGH GUSTAV LEFT NORTH TEXAS GENERALLY HIGH AND DRY...A RAINY PERIOD BEGAN SEPTEMBER 8 CULMINATING WITH THE ARRIVAL OF HURRICANE IKE ON SEPTEMBER 13. IKE MADE LANDFALL AT GALVESTON AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE. THE CENTER MOVED QUICKLY NORTH THROUGH EAST TEXAS... KNOCKING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. IN ANDERSON COUNTY...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH QUICKLY BECAME CALM AS THE CENTER OF IKE PASSED. WIND DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AS FAR WEST AS ROBERTSON COUNTY AND AS FAR NORTH AS LAKE TAWAKONI. EAST OF I-35 WERE WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED TOTALS NEAR 4 INCHES. POLLEN COUNTS ARE TYPICALLY ELEVATED DURING THE EARLY PART OF AUTUMN...BUT IKE STIRRED UP AMOUNTS MUCH HIGHER THAN NORMAL. WITHIN A COUPLE DAYS OF LANDFALL...THE RAGWEED LEVEL IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH HAD RISEN TO AN EXTRAORDINARY 860 GRAINS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER. (A COUNT IN EXCESS OF 500 IS CONSIDERED VERY HIGH.) TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE...MOST AREAS SAW ZERO RAINFALL DURING THE LAST HALF OF THE MONTH...HELPING KEEP POLLEN LEVELS HIGH. EVEN WITH THE TROPICAL SYSTEMS...MANY AREAS SAW UNDER AN INCH OF RAIN DURING SEPTEMBER...PARTICULARLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE I-35 CORRIDOR. WHERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST IN CENTRAL TEXAS... RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE MONTH WERE AS LOW AS 1/4 INCH. THE MONTHLY TOTAL AT DFW AIRPORT WAS 0.84 INCHES. THIS IS THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER FOR DALLAS/FORT WORTH SINCE THE RECORD DRY STREAK OF 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SEPTEMBER PRECIPITATION 2008 NORMAL DEPARTURE DFW AIRPORT 0.84 2.42 -1.58 WACO 0.61 2.88 -2.27 DALLAS LOVE 1.41 2.65 -1.24 FTW MEACHAM 1.52 DAL-EXECUTIVE 0.63 FTW-ALLIANCE 2.00 ARLINGTON 1.85 3.18 -1.33 DENTON 1.07 3.35 -2.28 MCKINNEY 1.67 3.15 -1.48 TERRELL 2.87 3.15 -0.28 MINERAL WELLS 1.76 2.80 -1.04 CORSICANA 1.65 3.04 -1.39 -------------------------------------------------------------------- MANY AREAS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS MISSED OUT ON THE PLENTIFUL AUGUST RAINFALL...AND ARE EXPERIENCING MOUNTING PRECIPITATION DEFICITS. THE TABLE BELOW SHOWS HOW VARIED PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN THIS YEAR...AND HOW SIZABLE SOME OF THE DEFICITS REMAIN. -------------------------------------------------------------------- YEAR-TO-DATE PRECIPITATION (JANUARY 1 - SEPTEMBER 30) 2008 NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT OF NORMAL DFW AIRPORT 20.01 25.48 -5.47 79 WACO 28.53 24.30 +4.23 117 DALLAS LOVE 23.48 27.26 -3.78 86 FTW MEACHAM 20.73 DAL-EXECUTIVE 23.12 FTW-ALLIANCE 24.06 ARLINGTON 20.58 28.11 -7.53 73 DENTON 24.97 27.45 -2.48 91 MCKINNEY 35.40 29.82 +5.58 119 TERRELL 29.56 29.46 +0.10 100 MINERAL WELLS 17.74 24.08 -6.34 74 CORSICANA 25.24 28.22 -2.98 89 -------------------------------------------------------------------- DESPITE SOME PLEASANT AUTUMN WEATHER...THE SUNNY DAYS AND REDUCED HUMIDITY HELPED KEEP TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL AT DFW AIRPORT FOR THE 14TH CONSECUTIVE MONTH. $$ 25