There are three major geographical components that effect the weather throughout the states of Texas; The Gulf of Mexico, the Mexican High Plains, and the Rocky Mountains. All three play a major role in the weather and climate throughout the state in different ways. All of these influences effect the warm, wet climate of the coastal region as well as the dry, dusty areas in the west. Weather and climate observations over the last 30 years have shown a general warming trend along the Gulf Coast, as well as periods of drought and heavy precipitation. The Gulf of Mexico is a warm body of water to the south of Texas and it influences weather in many ways. Warm, moist air moves in from the Gulf of Mexico all year long, …show more content…
From 1880 to 1889, temperatures were generally normal across the state (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 10-19). In 1880-1885 as well as 1888 and 1889 saw above average to above average precipitation for a majority of the state while 1886-87 saw average to below average rainfall (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 23-38). For the most part, this decade was wet but did not see any major weather events along the Upper Coast; more specifically Brazoria County. 1890 was a year of high precipitation in Brazoria County, with the Columbia weather station reporting the highest annual precipitation in the state with 66.1in and the highest 24-hour precipitation of 6.5” of rain on September 10th (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 23-24). Between 1890 and 1893, the temperatures were cooler than normal and precipitation was average to low. Columbia reporting station again saw 24 maximum precipitation of 7.5” on June 13, 1894 (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 28). 1895 was a rare year for Brazoria County as it saw 10-20” of snow in February during the Storm of February 12th to 15th (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 29). The next few years were rather uneventful until 1899 when Brazoria County saw extremely low temperatures of 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit on the Coldest Night, February 12, 1899. During the same year, Alvin had the highest precipitation for the state with 59.7” of …show more content…
18 of those years were average-higher than average temperatures, while only 12 of them were cooler than normal (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 57-110). Half of those 30 years saw low precipitation while the other half saw average to higher than average precipitation (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 57-110). The most notable weather during those years were the years that saw higher precipitation than the rest of the state. In 1911, while the rest of the state was receiving lower than average rainfall, Brazoria had rainfall above their normal average and the highest in the state with 60.3” of rain and shared the highest annual excess with Columbia with an excess of 11” (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 56). While temperatures were below average in 1919, Brazoria Country received excessive rainfall between 60 and 70” of rain for the year (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 67). Again in 1921, Alvin had the highest annual precipitation of 66.2” and Angleton held the same record in 1922 with 68” (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 72-74). During 1927, Brazoria experienced a high monthly rainfall of 14.3” in September while the remainder of the state was fairly dry (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 86). The next few years were fairly uneventful, but in 1932, Velasco was hit by a hurricane with 100mph winds (Griffiths and Ainsworth, 94). And, during the last year of this section, 1939, Angleton