PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1115 AM CDT WED MAY 3 2006 ..APRIL TEMPERATURES MUCH WARMER THAN NORMAL... ...RAINFALL DEFICITS ALONG THE COAST CONTINUE TO GROW... APRIL WAS CONSIDERABLY WARMER THAN NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE MONTH WERE 4.5 TO 5.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. RAINFALL WAS AGAIN BELOW NORMAL WITH COASTAL AREAS SUFFERING THE GREATEST RAINFALL DEFICITS. A LATE MONTH HEAVY RAIN EVENT HELPED BRING APRIL RAINFALL TOTALS CLOSER TO NORMAL. DESPITE THE LACK OF RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION...THERE WERE SEVERAL EPISODES OF SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE MONTH. THE FIRST EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 20TH. PENNY SIZED HAIL FELL NEAR BRENHAM AND INDEPENDENCE. STRONG WINDS BROUGHT DOWN POWER LINES NEAR BRYAN AND DAMAGED A BARN NEAR KURTEN. THE EVENT ON APRIL 28TH PRODUCED SEVERAL TORNADOES AND WIND DAMAGE WAS WIDESPREAD FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY TO LIBERTY COUNTY. AN F2 TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH COLDSPRING AROUND 7 AM AND DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES AND INJURED FOUR PERSONS. ANOTHER TORNADO...RATED F1... DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES AND MOBILE HOMES NEAR LIBERTY. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWN IN SOUTHERN LIBERTY COUNTY. RAINFALL AVERAGED 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL TOTALS GENERALLY NORTH OF 1-10. GALVESTON RECEIVED ALMOST AN INCH OF RAIN ON THE 28TH BUT THE CITY IS STILL SUFFERING ONE IT'S DRIEST STARTS TO THE YEAR ON RECORD. GALVESTON HAS ONLY RECEIVED 3.93 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE JANUARY 1. THIS IS ABOUT 8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE YEAR. THIS IS THE SECOND DRIEST START TO THE YEAR IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE DRIEST START OCCURRED BACK IN 1916 (2.67 INCHES). HERE ARE THE FIVE DRIEST JANUARY - APRIL FOR GALVESTON: 2.67 INCHES - 1916 3.93 INCHES - 2006 4.03 INCHES - 1981 4.33 INCHES - 1965 4.52 INCHES - 1963 AREAS SOUTH OF A COLUMBUS TO CONROE TO CLEVELAND LINE ARE SUFFERING THE GREATEST RAINFALL DEFICITS. AREAS NORTH OF THIS LINE HAVE NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL TOTALS. TEMPERATURES WERE AGAIN UNSEASONABLY WARM. IT SOUNDS LIKE A BROKEN RECORD...BUT APRIL 2006 WAS THE THIRD WARMEST IN RECORDED HISTORY FOR BOTH COLLEGE STATION AND GALVESTON. HOUSTON TIED FOR IT'S FOURTH WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD. IN GALVESTON (PERIOD OF RECORD 1871-2006)... FIVE OUT OF THE ELEVEN WARMEST APRILS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 1991. IN COLLEGE STATION (PERIOD OF RECORD 1902-2006)...SIX OF THE TWENTY-FIVE WARMEST APRILS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 1991. IN HOUSTON (1889-2006)...FOUR OF THE FIFTEEN WARMEST APRILS HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 1991. THE 30 YEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR APRIL FOR GALVESTON...COLLEGE STATION AND HOUSTON IS 70.0 DEGREES...67.9 DEGREES AND 68.5 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY. GALVESTON COLLEGE STATION HOUSTON 74.5 - 2006 (3RD) 73.1 - 2006 (3RD) 73.6 - 2006 (4TH) 73.2 - 1999 (5TH) 72.8 - 2002 (4TH) 73.5 - 2002 (6TH) 72.9 - 2002 (7TH) 71.1 - 2001 (13TH) 73.0 - 1999 (10TH) 72.6 - 2001 (9TH) 70.4 - 1999 (21ST) 72.2 - 1991 (15TH) 72.4 - 1991 (11TH) 70.2 - 1991 (22ND) 69.8 - 2003 (25TH) HERE ARE THE FIVE WARMEST APRILS FOR THE PRIMARY CLIMATES SITES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS HOUSTON COLLEGE STATION GALVESTON 75.7 - 1967 74.0 - 1967 76.5 - 1888 74.5 - 1963 73.7 - 1925 75.0 - 1967 74.3 - 1981 73.1 - 2006 74.5 - 2006 73.6 - 2006 72.8 - 2002 73.4 - 1929 73.6 - 1908 72.2 - 1963 73.2 - 1999 SITE AVG AVG AVG DEP RAIN DEP HIGH LOW DAILY IAH 83.8 63.5 73.6 +5.1 2.93 -0.67 GLS 80.0 69.0 74.5 +4.5 1.34 -1.22 CLL 83.4 62.7 73.1 +5.2 2.45 -0.75 HOU 82.6 64.5 73.6 +3.6 2.23 -1.23 CXO 84.0 60.2 72.1 +4.8 2.84 -1.00 UTS 83.4 61.9 72.6 +5.4 2.75 -0.75 DWH 84.7 63.5 74.1 +4.2 3.06 +0.14 SGR 84.0 62.7 73.3 +2.8 2.37 -0.27 LVJ 82.5 64.6 73.6 +4.2 1.50 -1.27 HGX 81.0 63.5 72.2 +4.4 2.34 -1.65 LBX 81.8 62.9 72.4 +2.6 1.00 -2.77 PSX 82.6 67.9 75.2 +6.7 2.32 -0.48 && RECORDS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES GALVESTON 80 DEGREES ON THE 2ND 78 DEGREES IN 1978 83 DEGREES ON THE 20TH 82 DEGREES IN 2000 85 DEGREES ON THE 22ND 84 DEGREES IN 1883 84 DEGREES ON THE 29TH (TIED) 84 DEGREES IN 2002 HOUSTON 87 DEGREES ON THE 3RD (TIED) 87 DEGREES IN 1980 92 DEGREES ON THE 17TH (TIED) 92 DEGREES IN 1987 88 DEGREES ON THE 22ND (TIED) 88 DEGREES IN 1999 90 DEGREES ON THE 25TH (TIED) 90 DEGREES IN 1987 COLLEGE STATION 93 DEGREES ON THE 17TH 91 DEGREES IN 1925 94 DEGREES ON THE 18TH 93 DEGREES IN 1996 RECORD HIGH MINIMUM GALVESTON 71 DEGREES ON THE 1ST 70 DEGREES IN 1956 71 DEGREES ON THE 2ND (TIED) 71 DEGREES IN 1929 76 DEGREES ON THE 25TH (TIED) 76 DEGREES IN 1967 HOUSTON 72 DEGREES ON THE 1ST 69 DEGREES IN 1956 COLLEGE STATION 71 DEGREES ON THE 1ST 68 DEGREES IN 1935 RECORD RAINFALL HOUSTON 1.71 INCHES ON THE 29TH 1.52 INCHES IN 1932 $$