After a couple of cold snaps, February is just about done. The National Weather Service Houston put out a bit of climate data this morning showing the month fell well below normal for average temperatures (taking highs and lows and averaging them). Generally, about six degrees below for inland stations:
College Station: 49.6° Below normal by 5.6°
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BUSH/IAH: 51.9° Below normal by 5.8°
Hobby: 52.8° Below normal by 5.9°
Galveston: 56.1° Below normal by 3.2°
You’ll recall the big Snowmaggedon across the state earlier this month which resulted in just cold temperatures for us. Bush airport fell to 27° three mornings in a row from Feb. 4-6. Last week and over the weekend, we averaged cold 30s and 40s with gray skies. However, today is a new day and while the weather itself gets my vote, here’s your forecast for the polls this eveing:
If you’re headed to Keith Urban tonight at the rodeo, grab a jacket:
March forecast
The rest of this week, I see a warming trend toward the weekend with a few showers Saturday and Sunday and our next cold front Monday of next week. If there is any truth to “in like a lion, out like a lamb” that March 7 front would be the best shot at some roaring weather. Landscapers keep asking if we are done with the freezing weather and my instinct is yes (although long-timers will tell you never plant until after Easter!). Climate predictions are forecasting above-normal temperatures and scant chances of rain for the entire month:
Our normal high temperature for March is 74° (last year we average 76°) while our normal low is 63.8° and we were just less than a degree above that last year. Average rainfall is just under 3.5″ and, if anything, it seems like one week of spring break usually ‘springs a leak,’ so we’ll keep an eye to the sky for spring storms this month.
In other news:
Our full moon this month, called the full Worm Moon (the ground thaws and worms appear!), occurs March 18.
And don’t forget that those clocks go one hour forward on March12!
Welcome to meteorological spring! Astronomical spring arrives March 20th at 10:33am CDT.
Frank