C/S TX Weather: Seasonal with some rains

[South Texas Storms]

I really hope it doesn't return. I'm going to be very sad if we have to suffer through the worst drought in state history.

[newtotex]

Not being from here, what do neutral years usually mean for Texas?

[Portastorm]

Not being from here, what do neutral years usually mean for Texas?

Hard to say. All things being equal, one could expect a seasonal "season." But stick around, we'll be discussing this a lot more on this forum. The ENSO state is just one of a number of atmospheric markers which dictate the patterns. There's the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO) ... for example. All play a big role.

Meanwhile, some nice showers off to the south/southwest of Austin. Here's hoping we get rained on!

[Shoshana]

THUNDER!!!

Not being from here, what do neutral years usually mean for Texas?

Welcome!

LOL There IS no normal! But as normal as it gets, summer is hot (but not this hot, mid 90's w some days 100, some days 90) fall is nice, some wild thunderstorms, Thanksgiving can be tshirt weather or cold, Christmas can be tshirt weather or close to freezing. Winter is mild (40's to 60's) with 2-3 real cold snaps (shortlived) that can go down to the 20's. Rain is common but not frequent. Spring is like Fall, but starts in late Feb - severe storms are possible but on the whole very nice.

Watch out for Cedar pollen in January tho.

:uarrow:

I really hope it doesn't return. I'm going to be very sad if we have to suffer through the worst drought in state history.

I won't be happy.

Hit 101 at Mabry and Bergstrom Day 28

[Shoshana]

Thunder, lightning, wind. Not a drop of rain.

[Portastorm]

Thunder, lightning, wind. Not a drop of rain.

At my house, it smelled like rain ... it looked like it would rain ... not a drop of rain!

[Rgv20]

Wow tough luck you guys Well at least you all got a cool breeze.

Still running below average on the July high temperatures in Rio Grande City 95.

[South Texas Storms]

Thankfully my house got a couple of nice thunder showers in SA. The heaviest storms went about 10 miles west of us. Something is better than nothing! I hope you guys get some tomorrow afternoon.

[Rgv20]

I rarely look at the CFS long range forecast but looking at this map its disturbing, it shows below normal rainfall for most of Texas from Aug thru Dec.

[South Texas Storms]

That map scares me. How accurate are those forecasts? And can I please have a link to that page?

[Portastorm]

Add another day to your list, Shoshana ... we're sitting at 102 degrees at 4:55 p.m. at Camp Mabry. Ugh ... this sucks.

[~FlipFlopGirl~]

day 12 of triple digits in a row in Waco- Down right miserable- Water bill over $250- and air conditioner is 15 years old and sounding like it is about to blast off to the moon- Any chances this means an early fall-

[Rgv20]

Still relatively cool by July standards in Rio Grande City 97

Well at least the dry conditions have helped to speed up the ongoing Levee construction for Hidalgo County.

Levee work near completion
July 11, 2011 7:08 PM
Jared Janes
The Monitor

Work to raise and repair more than 90 miles of levees along the Rio Grande’s floodway system is nearly complete despite delays caused by last summer’s flooding.

Contractors have completed embankment work on some 90 miles of Hidalgo County levees with an additional 15 miles more than halfway finished, said Sally Spener, a spokeswoman for the International Boundary and Water Commission, the binational agency that oversees flood control and protection along the river. The work was slowed last summer as the commission responded to Rio Grande flooding caused by Hurricane Alex that led the IBWC to open its internal floodway system for the first time since 1988.

But Spener said dry conditions since then have allowed significant progress on the levee rehabilitation project with the agency currently discussing revised completion dates with contractors delayed by the floods.

The uncompleted work doesn’t pose a significant concern in the midst of hurricane season after the levees protected county property last year when the Rio Grande crested at its highest point in four decades due to heavy rains in northern Mexico, said Oscar Montoya, Hidalgo County emergency management coordinator.

“We need to remember that the levees did their jobs last summer. They held the water in,” he said. “Although they handled a lot of water last year, it gave us a place to put our floodwaters because they were in good shape.”

The IBWC was awarded $220 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to repair roughly 240 miles of Rio Grande levees in Texas and New Mexico. Half the funding was directed to Hidalgo County, where the IBWC told the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2007 that it couldn’t certify the levees, potentially forcing residents to pay mandatory and expensive flood insurance premiums.

FEMA has said it won’t release new flood maps for Hidalgo County until the levee work is complete.

In places closest to completion, Hidalgo County’s levees have been excavated, raised as needed and then strengthened with a new clay cap, Spener said. There is still ongoing work to replace topsoil, complete the roads that run along the levees and reseed the slopes to re-establish vegetation and prevent erosion.

The IBWC is still completing work on structures such as pump houses that pass through the levee system.

County officials praised the levees last summer, suggesting they were in their best condition in years when the flooding occurred thanks to the ongoing stimulus package work. No major structural problems were identified with the levees despite the highest flood flows since Hurricane Beulah in 1967.[/b]

http://www.themonitor.com/news/work-526 ... miles.html

[Shoshana]

Day 29 (I just heard 28 on the news _ need to go back and count)

102 Mabry, 101 Bergstrom with 100+ in the forecast all week.

day 12 of triple digits in a row in Waco- Down right miserable- Water bill over $250- and air conditioner is 15 years old and sounding like it is about to blast off to the moon- Any chances this means an early fall-

I don't think we'll have an early fall. Good luck with that a/c! We had to get a new one last year...

[JonathanBelles]

You all stay cool and safe up there!!

[Portastorm]

Day 29 (I just heard 28 on the news _ need to go back and count)

102 Mabry, 101 Bergstrom with 100+ in the forecast all week.

day 12 of triple digits in a row in Waco- Down right miserable- Water bill over $250- and air conditioner is 15 years old and sounding like it is about to blast off to the moon- Any chances this means an early fall-

I don't think we'll have an early fall. Good luck with that a/c! We had to get a new one last year...

Yeah Shoshana, I think you're one day too far. Yesterday was Day 28 according to the media reports.

Don't worry, I'm sure today will be Day 29.

[Shoshana]

You all stay cool and safe up there!!

Thank you.

lol We're not 'up there'. Austin is as far south as y'all are

Austin IS weird tho, so I guess some of us might be 'higher' than others...

Day 29 (I just heard 28 on the news _ need to go back and count)

102 Mabry, 101 Bergstrom with 100+ in the forecast all week.

day 12 of triple digits in a row in Waco- Down right miserable- Water bill over $250- and air conditioner is 15 years old and sounding like it is about to blast off to the moon- Any chances this means an early fall-

I don't think we'll have an early fall. Good luck with that a/c! We had to get a new one last year...

Yeah Shoshana, I think you're one day too far. Yesterday was Day 28 according to the media reports.

Don't worry, I'm sure today will be Day 29.

I did recount and there have been 28, soon to be 29 100+ days at Mabry. Didn't take the time to see if there was a day at Bergsrtom 100 when it wasn't at Mabry.

10 days in a row of 100+ at Mabry, today should be day 11.

[Shoshana]

Day 29, Mabry 101 (so far)

Day 11 in a row

from NWS

Statement as of 3:51 PM CDT on July 12, 2011

... Hot July afternoons continuing Wednesday through Friday...

More hot July afternoons are expected Wednesday through Friday...
with daytime highs in the upper 90s to near 100 over The
Hill Country... near 100 to 102 over adjacent parts of
south central Texas... and near 100 to 103 over the Rio Grande
plains. The high and intense July sun will add to the heat.
The heat index will rise to near 100 to 105 in the afternoons.
Overnight lows are expected to be in the 70s.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When
possible... reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or
evening. Use of light weight clothing and plenty of water will
make it easier to deal with the heat. Young children and pets should
never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. This
is especially true during warm or hot weather... when car interiors
can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.

Then there was a really long informational statement about how dry/hot it's been in Central/South Texas.

Public Information Statement

BTW the heat index @ Mabry is 106.

[angelwing]

(trying to inject a little humor, we're baking up here but not as bad as you folks)

[JonathanBelles]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!