NWS Lubbock Local Weather Events

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
630 AM CST FRI FEB 3 2006

...MEASURABLE RAIN HAS BEEN RECORDED AT LUBBOCK AIRPORT THIS
MORNING...

...BETWEEN 530 AND 630 AM CST 0.03 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED AT
THE LUBBOCK AIRPORT...

THE RECORD SETTING DRY STREAK HAS ENDED. A NEW RECORD OF CONSECUTIVE
DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAINFALL HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AT 98 DAYS.
THE PERIOD OF THE LATEST RECORD IS FROM OCTOBER 28 2005 TO FEBRUARY
2 2006.

THE RAIN THIS MORNING HAS BEEN RATHER WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS OF WEST TEXAS. STATIONS
OF THE WEST TEXAS MESONET HAVE REPORTED ANYWHERE FROM A FEW
HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAINFALL AT SEVERAL STATIONS TO OVER A
QUARTER OF AN INCH AT TULIA. CHILDRESS HAS RECEIVED 0.11 INCHES.

A COMPACT BUT INTENSE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVED SOUTHEAST FROM
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE PANHANDLE AND SOUTH PLAINS
OVERNIGHT. THIS STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY AND
LIFT TO THE REGION. ADDDITIONALLY...A COLD FRONT MOVED SOUTH THROUGH
THE REGION AND BROUGHT CONVERGENCE AND ADDITIONAL LIFT TO THE
AREA. INITIALLY...MOISTURE WAS LACKING. HOWEVER...THE LIFT FROM THE
SYSTEM WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO GRADUALLY SATURATE THE ATMOSPHERE FROM
THE CLOUD LEVEL DOWN TO THE SURFACE.

ALTHOUGH THIS RAINFALL ENDS THE DRY STREAK...THE RAINFALL IS NOT
NEARLY ENOUGH TO END THE SHORT-TERM DROUGHT THAT IS PRESENT ACROSS
THE REGION. A SERIES OF SOAKING RAINS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MITIGATE
THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS.

IN ADDITION TO THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION...IT HAS BEEN VERY WARM SO
FAR THIS WINTER ACROSS THE REGION. THE AVERAGE JANUARY TEMPERATURE IN
LUBBOCK THIS YEAR WAS 47.3 DEGREES. THIS IS 9.2 DEGREES ABOVE THE
30-YEAR AVERAGE VALUE OF 38.1 DEGREES. THIS TIES US FOR THE THIRD
WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD IN LUBBOCK SINCE 1911. THE WARMEST JANUARY
ON RECORD WAS 48.5 DEGREES IN 1914.