Houston Weather Rewind

General Weather Discussions and Analysis
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Ptarmigan
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Every year, there is are multiple interesting weather events. I would like to do Houston weather reviews from the past. Let's start with 1989.

1989 stands out well for me. It is the year when I was getting interested in weather after Hurricane Gilbert came. 1989 starts out dry due to La Nina.

January-Heavy rain event that led to flooding in some part of Houston on January 18. Up to 5 inches fell in some areas.

February-Huge freeze that is the second most prolonged freeze after 1951, from February 3 to 8. Also, there was an ice storm mixed with snow.

March-An Arctic blast came in early March, which bottomed out at 25 twice on March 5 and 6. Strong thunderstorms came in the early morning hour of March 29. Damage was reported in West Houston.

April-Nothing really remarkable stands out, other than cooler temperatures. Thunderstorms visit Houston area again in the early morning hour of April 30.

May-A strong line of thunderstorms visits Houston area in the early morning hours causing power outages. Extremely heavy rain fell on May 17-18, after a thunderstorm system that formed over Central Texas stalled out over the Houston area, which dumps 10 to 15 inches of rain. A catastrophic flood ensues in Harris, Liberty, and Montgomery County. May 1989 is the fifth wettest May with 13.56 inches of rain.

June-Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall on June 27 around Freeport. Heavy rain falls and some areas, especially in Central Louisiana get up to 30 inches of rain, while Houston area sees 10 to 20 inches of rain.

July-Very dry after a very wet May and June, one of the wettest on record.

August-Hurricane Chantal makes landfall on August 1 on High Island. Most areas get 6 to 15 inches of rain, especially south of I-10 in a line from Missouri City to Friendswood, where they received 20 inches of rain.

September-Nothing really remarkable.

October-Hurricane Jerry makes landfall on Galveston on October 15. Jerry is a small hurricane, so Houston is unaffected for the most part. Jerry dumps up to 6 inches in Silsbee. Jerry is the second hurricane and third tropical cyclone to hit the Upper Texas Coast. Also, three tropical cyclones hit Texas in one season, which last happened in 1886 and 2008. Five days after Jerry hits Houston, a low of 32 degrees is recorded.

November-Nothing remarkable.

December-Multiple record lows are set to close 1989. It hit 19 on December 13. A wave strong cold fronts passes through the Houston area. Than on December 22, a really strong cold blast comes. Also, there is snow that day. From there, the lows on December 23, hit 7 degrees at Intercontinental Airport, the lowest ever recorded since it became the official weather station in 1969. The freeze lasts until Christmas Eve and from there, it becomes mild for the rest of the winter of 1989-90.

To sum it up, 1989 started dry, than gets really cold, than wet, dry, and brutally cold. 1989 had the longest duration of hours below 32, a total of 166 hours, which is yet to be beaten. Also, it snowed twice, February 6 and December 22. In addition, it was one of the years where there was single digit temperature on December 23. There was no 100 degree temperature in 1989, but came close with 99 degrees on September 1-4. In addition, three tropical cyclones, including two hurricanes made landfall on the Upper Texas Coast. 1989 is truly an interesting year weather wise for Houston.
Last edited by Ptarmigan on Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ptarmigan
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A look back at 2000. The year started dry and mild.

January-A warm start to mark the start of "Y2K", as it was called, when fears of the so-called "Y2K Bug", which never really happened. Largely mild and drier than normal. However, there was an ice storm and snow fall in North Texas from January 26-28.

February-Same as January. Drier and milder than average.

March-Above average temperature like January and February. Also drier. However, hail was reported in the Houston area on March 10.

April-A stormy start. Severe weather outbreak from April 1-3, which mostly occurred in the overnight to early morning hours of April 2. Than another severe weather outbreak on April 7, mostly in the northern part of Harris County. April was wetter and cooler than average.

May-A carbon copy of April. A stormy start to the month of May, from May 1-4. High winds, hail, and funnel clouds are reported. The storm also damages one of the Hurricane Hunters airplane in Galveston. Heavy rain falls on May 19, after a mesocyclone convection system forms. Bush Intercontinetal Airport records 7.61 inches of rain, while Liberty gets up to 19 inches of rain from that same storm. May was wetter and warmer than average. It is the sixth wettest May on record with 12.35 inches of rain.

June-Average temperature, but drier than normal. Nothing really remarkable other rain from remnant of Tropical Depression 1.

July-A major heatwave that affects Texas for most of July. Also, it is drier than average.

August-August starts out hot. Summer thunderstorms produce hail and strong winds on August 2. Than late August, a much stronger heat waves that leads to numerous record highs. August is warmer and drier than average.

September-The heat wave continues from late August. An all time high of 109 is set on September 4. However after the heat wave, the temperature begins to moderate and towards the end of the month hits the lows of upper 40s. Heavy rain is reported on September 13. Up 7 inches fall in League City. September is warmer than average, but rainfall is average.

October-Starts out warm, than it gets cooler on October 6-11. Liberty County is hit by floods again on October 22, with totals of up to 13 inches. October is average, while rainfall is below normal.

November-Things start to change in November. The drought that had Texas gripped for most of 2000 is coming to an end. Thunderstorms hit Houston area on the night of November 5. Flooding rains plagued Texas from November 2-6. The heavy rains is a good thing because of the drought. Another thunderstorm hits on the afternoon and evening of November 12. Heavy rain falls on November 18, leading to flooding. Tornadoes and strong winds are reported on November 24. November is cooler and wetter than normal. November is the tenth wettest November on record at 8.5 inches of rain.

December-Largely cool. Ice storm fell north and west of the Houston area on December 12. A partial solar eclipse occurred Christmas. December 2000 is cooler than normal, in fact the third coolest December on record after 1983 and 1989.

To sum it up, 2000 started dry and mild. There were severe weather in April and May. There was flooding in May. Than it gets really hot in the summer, from July to early September. From there, it starts to get cooler and wetter. Floods are seen in September, October, and November. 2000 closed out as colder than normal. A way to end the millenium and welcome 2001.
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Ptarmigan
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A look back at 2001. The new millenium started on a cooler note.

January-A cooler start for the new millenium. Strong winds reported in the early morning hours of January 29 in Spring. January is cooler and wetter than normal.

February-Same as January. However, heavy rain falls north of Houston, which leads to flooding around Dallas/Fort Worth area. Up to 6 inches of rain is reported. Drier and milder than average.

March-A very interesting month. Severe weather in the form of strong and hail occurred on the afternoon of March 14. Heavy rain falls on March 28, which leads to flooding. Up to 9 inches of rain was measured in the Heights. March is cooler and wetter than normal. In fact, March 2001 is the third coolest and sixth wettest March on record.

April-A far cry from March. Hail and strong winds are reported on April 16 after severe thunderstorms sweep the area. April is warmer and drier than normal.

May-Hail is reported on May 11, than again on May 26. May is normal in temperature, but drier than average.

June-June 2001 will be remembered the year that TS Allison made landfall on June 5 on the west end of Galveston. It formed rather quickly over the Gulf of Mexico. Allison lingers for the next 5 days. On June 8-9, heavy rain develops over Harris and Montgomery County. From there, extremely heavy rain falls all night. Up to 28 inches of rain fell in 12 hours in the Greens Bayou basin. Five day totals are up to 40 inches of rain. There were thunderstorms on June 21, 26, 27, 28, and 29. June was cooler than normal due to all the rain, mostly from Allison. June 2001 is the wettest month officially recorded in Houston, at 19.21 inches.

July-A far cry from June. Five people died from heat related injuries from July 5 to 19. July was average in temperature, while it was drier than normal.

August-Twelve people died from excessive heat in August in Harris County. August started dry. Than towards the end of August, it starts to get wet and heavy rain starts to fall. August was normal in terms of temperture, but wetter than normal.

September-September continues where late August left off. Wet. Flooding is reported throughout the Houston area. However, September 2001 will be largely be remembered not for the weather in Houston area, but for the tragic events of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks that stunned the nation and world. Four hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and a field near Shanksvillle. The terrorist attack claims 3,000 lives. September was slightly cooler and much wetter. September 2001 is the tenth wettest September on record with 8.82 inches of rain.

October-Starts out mild with storms on October 4-5. Than another round of storms on October 11-13. That storm produced tornadoes and strong wind. October is wetter and cooler than normal.

November-Largely uneventful. However, in the Austin and San Antonio area, severe weather comes visiting on November 15. Strong winds and tornadoes are reported with heavy rain. Up to 15 inches of rain is reported. November is warmer and drier than normal.

December-A way to close 2001, a year that was marred by tragedies from TS Allison and 9/11. December is milder and wetter.

To sum it up, 2001 started wet and cooler. There were severe weather in January and March. June will be a month that will never be forgotten from the floods from TS Allison. Late August and early September was constantly raining. September 2001 was memorable due to the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks in New York, Arlington, and Shanksville. The year ended on a milder and wetter note. 2001 was the third wettest year ever recorded with 71.18 inches of rain.
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Ptarmigan
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A look back at 2008. 2008 is a very memorable year for the Houston area because of Hurricane Ike. Also, the Texas coast was hit by three tropical systems, Dolly, Edouard, and Ike. They were within a two month period. The last time three tropical cyclones hit Texas was in 1989.

January-A wet start to the year. The temperature was average.

February-Like January, it was wetter than average, however, it was much warmer. Tornado and hail are reported north of Houston on February 16.

March-Drier and warmer than normal. Funnel cloud is reported near Hobby Airport on March 10.

April-Like March, drier and warmer than normal. Reports of strong winds from a thunderstorm on April 18.

May-Heavy rain on May 5. 3.47 inches is reported at Bush Intercontinental. Hail is reported on May 11 in Spring Valley. Like March and April, May is drier and warmer than normal.

June-Severe weather comes visiting the Houston area on June 18 in the form of hail and strong winds in the Heights area. Than severe weather is back June 19 in the form of hail and wind, in the north side. Tornadio and hail is reported on June 21. Severe weather comes again on June 29, producing strong winds near Bush Intercontinental Airport. Despite the severe weather, June 2008 is drier and warmer than average.

July-Hurricane Dolly makes landfall in South Texas on Juky 23 as a Category 1 hurricane. Dolly dumps up to 20 inches of rain. The outer bands of Dolly give Southeast Texas rain in a otherwise dry and hot summer. July 2008 is drier and much warmer than average.

August-Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall on August 5 on Gilchrest. 3 to 5 inches of rain is reported, with 6.48 inches reported near Baytown. August is wetter and slightly warmer than average.

September-September 2008 will never be forgotten. Hurricane Ike made landfall as a Category 2 on September 13 at 2:10 AM on Galveston. The large hurricane ravaged Southeast Texas and Louisiana. Ike produced up to 25 foot storm surge in Bolivar Peninsula and widespread heavy rains of 6 to 12 inches. Once it passed, it did $24 billion of damage, making it the third costliest hurricane after Katrina and Andrew. Ike caused the most widespread power outage in Texas. The following day, a strong cold front produces thunderstorms and heavy rain that dumps the same amount as Ike did. Ike claimed 51 lives and left scores missing. September 2008 is the second wettest September after September 1913 with 12.07 inches at Bush Intercontinental AIrport.

October-Heavy rain plagues October, especially in the northern part of the Houston area. First round of heavy rain is reported on October 7. Heavy rain and flash flood is reported 8 days later on October 15. Heavy rain comes again October 22. October at Intercontinental Airport is wetter and slightly cooler than average, while Hobby was drier and cooler than normal.

November-Largely uneventful. Severe weather and heavy rain hits Houston on November 12. Hail is reported in Spring. November is the start of a drying trend due to La Nina. At Intercontinental, it is drier and warmer than normal. While at Hobby, it is slightly wetter and cooler than normal.

December-Snow came to Houston on December 10. Some areas reported up to 5 inches of snow. It was the earliest measurable snowfall on record prior to December 4, 2009. Despite the snow, it is warmer and drier than normal.

To sum it up, 2008 started wet and milder. There were severe weather in February. Spring of 2008 was largely dry, which would go well into the Summer of 2008. Severe weather would hit in June. Tropical Storm Edouard came visiting in August. September 2008 was memorable due to Hurricane Ike. A rare snowfall event in December, which would be the earliest before December 4, 2009. The year ended on a milder and drier note. 2008 was wetter and warmer than the average year. 53 inches of rain fell in 2008 at Bush Intercontinental Airport. If it was not for Dolly, Edouard, and Ike, 2008 would of been much drier.
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Ptarmigan
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A look back at 1976. It was the bicentennial for America. 1976 is the coolest year in Houston ever recorded.

January-A cooler start for the bicentennial year. Overall, cooler and drier than average.

February-Same as January in terms of rainfall total. However, it much warmer than average. Severe thunderstorms visit the Houston area in the early morning hour of February 21.

March-A unremarkable month. Average temperature and less rainfall than a typical March.

April-A far cry from January to March. Heavy rain comes visiting on April 18, 1976. Intercontinental Airport measures 8.16 inches of rain. Hobby measures only 0.04 inches of rain. April of 1976 is the wettest ever recorded at Intercontinental at 10.92 inches of rain. It is also slightly cooler than normal.

May-Severe weather visits again on the afternoon of May 7. Strong winds and tornadoes are reported. A gust of 75 mph is recorded. Strong winds from thunderstorms come on the morning of May 31. May is wetter and cooler than normal.

June-Heavy rain comes falls in an area south of I-10 on June 15, around Brays Bayou. Many areas receive 10 to 15 inches of rain. The Texas Medical Center building basement and streets are flooded from the heavy rains. It would not happen again until Tropical Storm Allison of 2001. Also, the Houston Astros were to play against Pittsburgh Pirates. The game was rained out due to the heavy rain and flood. All in all 13 people died in the flood. Damage was at $20 million. For Intercontinental Airport, June was drier, but cooler than normal. June 1976 is the 5th coolest June ever recorded.

July-America is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its independence on July 4. Cooler and slightly wetter than normal. July was largely cool for a Houston summer, the fourth coolest July ever recorded.

August-Summer thunderstorms produce strong winds on the afternoon of August 17. More summer thunderstorms come on a week later, this time 1 inch hail. August is drier and cooler than normal. A string of cooler than normal summers is the rule for the summer of 1976. It only hit 100 degrees once on August 7.

September-A tornado touches down on September 1. Heavy rain falls once again on September 19-20. 8.16 inches of rain is reported at Intercontinental. September is wetter than normal, 4th wettest September ever recorded. Also, it is cooler than normal, 8th coolest September ever recorded.

October-October of 1976 is remarkable because it is the coolest October ever recorded officially. October was also wetter than normal.

November-November of 1976 is an exact carbon copy of October, it is the coolest November ever recorded officially.

December-A very rainy December, which kept the temperatures cooler and wetter than normal.

To sum it up, 1976 started mild and dry. Floods came in April, June, and September. Summer of 1976 was cool, almost a year without summer in Houston area. Fall was cooler than normal. 1976 recorded 54.62 inches of rain, which is wetter than the annual year. 1976 is the coolest year ever recorded in Houston, which would start a string of cooler than normal years up to 1979.
JuanKing
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Ptarmigan wrote:A look back at 2000. The year started dry and mild.

January-A warm start to mark the start of "Y2K", as it was called, when fears of the so-called "Y2K Bug", which never really happened. Largely mild and drier than normal. However, there was an ice storm and snow fall in North Texas from January 26-28.

February-Same as January. Drier and milder than average.

March-Above average temperature like January and February. Also drier. However, hail was reported in the Houston area on March 10.

April-A stormy start. Severe weather outbreak from April 1-3, which mostly occurred in the overnight to early morning hours of April 2. Than another severe weather outbreak on April 7, mostly in the northern part of Harris County. April was wetter and cooler than average.

May-A carbon copy of April. A stormy start to the month of May, from May 1-4. High winds, hail, and funnel clouds are reported. The storm also damages one of the Hurricane Hunters airplane in Galveston. Heavy rain falls on May 19, after a mesocyclone convection system forms. Bush Intercontinetal Airport records 7.61 inches of rain, while Liberty gets up to 19 inches of rain from that same storm. May was wetter and warmer than average. It is the sixth wettest May on record with 12.35 inches of rain.

June-Average temperature, but drier than normal. Nothing really remarkable other rain from remnant of Tropical Depression 1.

July-A major heatwave that affects Texas for most of July. Also, it is drier than average.

August-August starts out hot. Summer thunderstorms produce hail and strong winds on August 2. Than late August, a much stronger heat waves that leads to numerous record highs. August is warmer and drier than average.

September-The heat wave continues from late August. An all time high of 109 is set on September 4. However after the heat wave, the temperature begins to moderate and towards the end of the month hits the lows of upper 40s. Heavy rain is reported on September 13. Up 7 inches fall in League City. September is warmer than average, but rainfall is average.

October-Starts out warm, than it gets cooler on October 6-11. Liberty County is hit by floods again on October 22, with totals of up to 13 inches. October is average, while rainfall is below normal.

November-Things start to change in November. The drought that had Texas gripped for most of 2000 is coming to an end. Thunderstorms hit Houston area on the night of November 5. Flooding rains plagued Texas from November 2-6. The heavy rains is a good thing because of the drought. Another thunderstorm hits on the afternoon and evening of November 12. Heavy rain falls on November 18, leading to flooding. Tornadoes and strong winds are reported on November 24. November is cooler and wetter than normal. November is the tenth wettest November on record at 8.5 inches of rain.

December-Largely cool. Ice storm fell north and west of the Houston area on December 12. A partial solar eclipse occurred Christmas. December 2000 is cooler than normal, in fact the third coolest December on record after 1983 and 1989.

To sum it up, 2000 started dry and mild. There were severe weather in April and May. There was flooding in May. Than it gets really hot in the summer, from July to early September. From there, it starts to get cooler and wetter. Floods are seen in September, October, and November. 2000 closed out as colder than normal. A way to end the millenium and welcome 2001.
Weather is getting unpredictable now... Records are broken every year.. Things are not going in right direction and we must become serious about it.
Zandra
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The SLOSH model consists of a set of equations derived from the Newtonian equations of motion (shallow water equations) and the continuity equation applied to a rotating fluid with a free surface. The equations are integrated from the sea floor to the surface. The coastline is represented as a physical boundary. Subgrid-scale water features (cuts, chokes, sills and channels), and vertical obstructions (levees, roads, spoil banks, etc.) are parameterized. The model accounts for astronomical tides by specifying an initial tide level, but does not include rainfall amounts, riverflow, or wind-driven waves.
ZANDRA XARA
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