By Barney Leach
The first quarter of 2021 set a new winter snowfall record of 9 1/12 inches with 3 ½ inches on January 10 and 5 ½ inches on February 14. Total rainfall for the quarter however fell below normal at 8.34 inches. Normal rainfall for the first quarter is 11.53 inches.
March rainfall was also below normal at 2.27 inches. We had six days with measurable rainfall with a greatest one-day total of 0.89 inches on March 23. Normal March rainfall is 4.96 inches.
The first quarter of 2021 also produced a record low winter temperature of seven degrees on February 16 topping our previous low of eight degrees on January 17, 2018. We also had a record number of 10 below freezing temperatures days in a row.
March temperatures were slightly above normal with a high of 82 degrees on March 26 and a low of 41 degrees on March 7, 8 and 20. March was frost -free which is somewhat unusual.
Looking ahead to April: We will be seeing warmer weather in April with highs in the upper 80’s. We have had frost in April, however. Normal rainfall for April is 3.72 inches. Our record wettest April was 11.03 inches of rain in 2019. Record driest April was 0.61 inches of rain in 2001.
Normal rainfall values given were derived from averages over the twenty-year period 2001 through 2020.
The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former co-op weather volunteer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for channel 8 in Dallas, channel 10 in Waco and radio station KNES in Fairfield.
