FREQUENTLY ASKED WEATHER QUESTIONS

1)  What are the effects of El Nino on West Texas/Southeast New Mexico weather?

The impact of El Nino shows up most clearly during winter. Most El Niño winters are cooler and wetter than normal.

2)  What are the effects of La Nina on West Texas/Southeast New Mexico weather?

Analysis of past La Niña studies and past precipitation records indicate a decrease of precipitation totals during most La Nina years. The autumn and spring seasons are more likely than the winter seasons to have below normal precipitation with the spring season the most likely.

3)  Why does my rain gage show 1.5 " fell, but amount reported at the airport is only 0.75"?

That's because rainfall amounts often vary significantly over relatively short distances, particularly in the summer when thunderstorms are most common. Precipitation in summer thunderstorms frequently occurs in a scattered fashion.

4)  When is it usually the warmest time of day?

The warmest time of day is usually between 3 and 5 pm. This is despite the sunlight being most intense at noon. The earth and the air near the earth continue to receive more heat than is being lost during much of the afternoon.

5)  When is it usually the coolest time of the day?

The coolest time of the day is usually right after sunrise. This is because the earth and the air near the earth have lost heat all night and the heat gained near sunrise is still not enough to offset an entire night of cooling.

6)  Does a volcanic eruption affect our weather?

The weather very near an eruption is characterized by a lot of rain, lightning and thunder. This is because ash particles are thrown into the air and are good at attracting water droplets. Worldwide  weather is only affected if the volcanic ash rises to at least 30,000 feet. That said, scientists are still trying to understand the total effects. Worldwide impacts seem to depend on the size of the ash particles. If they are big (larger than 2 microns) they will let sunlight in, but won't let heat radiated from the earth's surface out. The net effect is a warmer earth (greenhouse effect). If the particles are small (smaller than 2 microns) they block some of the sun's energy and the earth cools. This seems to have occurred after the Mount Pinatubo eruption where about a 1/2 degree of cooling was noticed around the world.

7)  Do tropical systems ever affect West Texas weather?

West Texas is affected once every 3 to 5 years by the remnants of tropical systems that originate in the Eastern North Pacific. They typically produce increased cloud cover, slightly cooler temperatures, and occasionally moderate to locally heavy rainfall. Tropical systems originating in the Atlantic rarely impact West Texas. There have been only 2 documented storms from the Atlantic that have ever affected West Texas weather. One Atlantic storm was "Celia", which moved into the lower Trans Pecos and Big Bend on August 4th, 1970. The most recent Atlantic storm was "Claudette", which resulted in strong winds, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms across the Big Bend, Trans Pecos, and the Davis and Guadalupe Mountains
on July 16, 2003.

8)  How can frost form if the temperature is above freezing ?

The official temperature is typically taken in an instrument shelter 5 feet above the ground to protect against such elements as sunlight and wind. On clear nights when winds are light,
the temperature on the ground will typically cool more rapidly than at the level of the thermometer.
This could result in a situation where temperatures at the ground reach the point of  frost formation (typically a dew point of 32 F or less) but not at the temperature shelter. Frost will also form on colder surfaces. A light colored car or lawn will absorb less sunlight during the day and therefore be cooler than a driveway or wood deck.