Record Rainfall Report
Issued by the Jamaica Beach Weather Observatory
11:15 AM CDT Friday, October 13, 2006
...New daily and monthly rainfall records set on Thursday in Jamaica
Beach...
On Thursday, October 12, 2006...the Jamaica Beach Weather
Observatory recorded a
total of 3.07 inches of rainfall from Midnight to Midnight CST (1:00
AM to 1:00 AM CDT).
This established a new daily rainfall record for the date breaking
the previous record of
1.95 inches set on October 12, 1993.
The rainfall amount of 3.07 inches also set a new daily record for
the entire month of
October in Jamaica Beach. The previous daily record for the month
was 3.00 inches
set on October 20, 1993.
The monthly rainfall total so far this month at Jamaica Beach is now
4.96 inches and
the year to date total is now 41.98 inches.
In addition to the heavy rainfall Thursday, the second severe
thunderstorm and squall
within a three day period occurred at the Jamaica Beach Weather
Observatory with
¾ inch (penny-size) diameter hail falling from 1:20 PM to 1:31 PM
CDT and a peak wind
gust of 41 knots (47 mph) from West at 1:21 PM CDT.
Two days earlier, on Tuesday, October 10, 2006...a severe
thunderstorm and squall
produced a peak wind gust of 52 knots (60 mph) from West at 2:26 PM
CDT. This is
the first time since the weather station was established in 1990
that two thunderstorms
officially classified as severe have occurred within such a short
interval period. This
was also the first time hail has occurred during the month of
October at the Jamaica
Beach Weather Observatory. Hail is much more common along the Texas
Coast during
the period from February to June during the Spring storm season.
The National Weather Service defines a thunderstorm as being severe
at a weather
station when any or all the following occur:
a. a tornado;
b. wind gusts of 50 knots (58 mph) or higher;
c. hail of ¾ inch (penny-size) or larger in diameter.
Scholes International Airport in Galveston received 1.30 inches of
rain on Thursday but
this was far short of the daily record of 4.99 inches which occurred
on October 12, 1925.
Weather records in Galveston cover a much longer period and date
back to 1871. The
FAA Air Traffic Control Tower at the airport recorded wind gusts of
38 knots (44 mph) at
1:31 PM CDT Thursday during the thunderstorm.
Jim O'Donnel
Jamaica Beach Weather Observatory
