C/S TX Weather: Seasonal with some rains

[Shoshana]

I've never seen a mesquite tree die! Not from heat anyway.

Our next door neighbor lost both their big Bradford Pear trees.

So far our winged Elms are hanging on - I have the front sprinklers concentrating on our trees and bushes... and letting the grass get the runoff.

We're showing 108F.

[A1A]

I believe that La Nina has been responsible for much of the drought conditions we have seen since 2007, when it started. However, the developing El Nino along with a negative Arctic Oscillation means hot and dry for Texas.

Saw an interesting post on the Eastern forum that showed these signals in analog years and how July and August also ended up hot and dry for Texas. I'm not too optimistic until this fall ... and hopefully the El Nino will place a stormtrack right over us so we can start replenishing the scorched earth around here!

OK, I'm trying to understand. Is it that the negative Arctic Oscillation causes a trough that locks in the High Pressure over Texas?? I just can't imagine the triple digits continuing into August too?

[Portastorm]

Essentially yes, or at least as I understand it. There's a trough over the Great Lakes and Northeast and high pressure parked over Texas due to high latitude blocking.

[Portastorm]

Since June 1st, we have reached a high temperature of 100 degrees or more in 25 days, 26 if you include today (Sunday, July 12th).

[Shoshana]

I would since it was 102 at Mabry when I checked a bit ago....

[A1A]

Wow Ptarmigan are you really in the Arctic Tundra??

[Shoshana]

Day 27 105 at Mabry... another record.

[cctxhurricanewatcher]

Without a doubt this summer down in these parts might be the record breaker that makes weather lore when we get to oldtimer status. Something like 37 days now of high temps above 95 at the CC Airport with many of them close to 100 or above which is remarkable being so close to the water. I live about 10 miles west of the airport and my afternoon temps probably reached 101 to 104 on each of those days (my temps almost always run 2-4 degrees warmer in summer and cooler in winter than the CC NWS office at the airport). Points to our west like Alice, Falfuriias, Beeville, Freer, Cotulla, etc have probably been pushing 105 or higher for many of those days if not more. What is even more amazing is we are nearing a a foot of rain BELOW normal for the year. Push it back all the way to September when the last real tropical threat knocked on our door (Ike) and we are probably close to two feet BELOW normal.

I drove back Sunday from the Houston area and during the week before, I had noticed in Jeff's emails about the concerns the locals officials are now having about the dry weather and heat in the Houston area. Many of us here in Corpus and elsewhere below the US 59 coridor would love to be even half as lucky as you all have been with moisture this year. It looked almost Ireland green in alot of the Houston/Galveston area compared to the desert we have down here. Once you get past Edna you can see the terain get browner and browner to about Victora to where it is almost solid brown from that point southward.

I hope the this current spell doesn't end like 1980 with a storm like Allen. I will gladly accept another 2 to 3 months of this in order to avoid a hurricane. Like I noted, I was in Galveston last week and was amazed to see some of the damage Ike created. The water line on some of the buildings in downtown was remarkable. I would hate to the negative impacts another big time hit would do to our pocketbooks to anyone on the coast. Our windstorm coverage rates would look like pocket change right now compared to what they might be after another big hit in the immediate future.

[Portastorm]

We in south central Texas can totally relate CC ... the extreme drought range seems to extend in a giant box from South Padre Island up to Del Rio over to College Station and then down to Corpus Christi.

Here is the latest map:

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_state.htm?TX,S

I've been here 25 years and do not recall such an extreme summer on top of a two-year-plus drought. Folks are probably getting tired of reading my posts but the only word that comes to mind is: brutal.

Everyone in these parts perked up some with the news that El Nino continues developing and could provide some hope for the fall and winter. I would caution folks though that there are different types of El Nino's and it doesn't necessarily guarantee drought-busting pattern change for us in Texas. We will need to see how El Nino interacts with the other major climate patterns.

And I'm with you ... no one here needs an Allen.

[Shoshana]

I lived in Dallas in 1980, and that was horrible. So far this summer feels a lot like that - the hotter it gets the drier it gets, the drier it gets the hotter.

Another 100+ day today...

[KatDaddy]

1980 was quiet an event and 2009 feels very similiar. I think the the thread title should be bumped up from 100F to 105F.

[PTPatrick]

That drought/heat cycle is what Denver got caught in last July with a LONG streak above 90 and many upper 90s and 100's. We went into summer with about 4 inches of rain in the bucket so when Mother nature turned on the blowtourch there was not much to stop it. It just festered, and festered until a serious cold front in August had to come and break it. It was miserable.

[Portastorm]

The local cable news outlet here in Austin -- News 8 Austin -- is reporting that the period between June 1st and July 13th has been the hottest/warmest in recorded Austin history!!

The average temperature for that period was 87.5 degrees.

Last year's period between those dates is second at 86.7 degrees.

[Shoshana]

It felt kinda hot too. :melting:

How many 100+ days now? 30?

[Portastorm]

Alright, enough of this heat already! I'm outta here. In less than 24 hours, I'll be on a plane bound for NE Ohio where the projected high temp on Saturday is 68 degrees. Cannot wait!

Shoshana, you'll have to keep the thread going for a week. I'm sure it'll be more of the same. Yeah, I see the forecast of possible showers/storms in the next few days but I'll believe it when I see it (on the Internet that is since I won't be here!).

[Shoshana]

Have a good trip!

I'll keep up with the thread

High officially was 101 ... practically a cool wave! Forecast is for mid 90's next few days...

[Shoshana]

Made it to 100 at Mabry. I guess it's a cool wave - it's not 105!!!

Not so cool...it's 102F now at Mabry.

[horselattitudesfarm]

I joined this forum to discuss the awful weather we've been having at our farm outside of Ottine (Luling). I've been watching our farm burn up now for about 5 years with only one wet year in between (2007). Wet is relative since we received 32 inches of rain that year. Its interesting to see the post oak crosstimbers region down there succumb to the South Texas brush country as the climate changes and gets drier.

[Shoshana]

Welcome!!!!!!

Yeah, trees here are dying too - our neighbors lost both of their 8 year old Bradford pears and I've read about live oaks in trouble - and I've even read about mesquite trees dying. There is a line of hackberry (maybe sugarberry trees I don't know the difference) that were there before our house was built and this summer is the first time I've seen them seriously stressed like this. Leaves are curling up and some are starting to fall.

Well, it hit 100 at Mabry. The forecast was 93, but the clouds are breaking up without raining (here anyway). The weeks forecast has changed to 99F everyday. So I suspect we'll be seeing some more 100+ this week.

I think we need a melting icon!

[horselattitudesfarm]

Yea, its pretty sad when the high pressure dome is all the way in the 4-corners region and we're in NW flow aloft regime and it still gets to 100+. Its hard to stop the momentum of a drought of this magnitute isn't it? Anyway, the high pressure dome is like a cat, with the pee-spot on the carpet being right over Texas---it will come back to its favorite spot----over us---before long.