Temperatures mild, rain heavy over the past year
Weather highlights for 2007 include dodging of two tropical systems, 13 inches of rain in July
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

There were only two days when temperatures hit 100 degrees. The lowest temperature was 27. And of two tropical storms that struck the Texas coast, neither had a significant effect locally.

When it comes to the weather, things were pretty uneventful for Wharton in 2007.

"We had a fairly mild year," County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Kirkland said.

Take the top temperatures, for example. The mercury hit triple digits on only two days - Aug. 12 and 13 - for the entire year.

In 2000, by contrast, there were 45 days that hit 100 degrees or higher.

The mercury's drop was similar in impact. The coldest day was Feb. 16, with a 27 degree low.

The average low for that month, though, was 45.04. Only two other months had lower averages, with January posting a 41.94 and December having a 44.29.

The most significant weather anomaly for 2007 was precipitation. Rainfall was received every month of the year, with the largest - 13.58 inches - accumulating in July.

Rain was recorded 21 out of 31 days that month alone.

The wettest day was July 5, which had 3.10 inches of rain.

The second wettest month was January, with 8.04 inches received.

The driest month was February, which had just .67 of an inch of rain.

Four months out of the year had above average rainfall.

The year's total precipitation - 53.93 inches - was 11.35 inches above the average annual rainfall.

That amounted to the fourth largest accumulation of rain in a 12-month period over the last seven years.

The largest amount was received in 2004, when 74.32 inches fell.

There was the potential for even more rain in 2007 as tropical systems threatened the Texas coast.

Tropical Storm Erin made landfall near Corpus Christi on Aug. 16, and Hurricane Humberto landed near High Island on Sept. 13.

Wharton received 3.51 inches of rain from Erin, but nothing at all from the hurricane.

"Wharton County was on the dry side of this storm," Kirkland said, referring to Humberto's landfall.

"We were very fortunate in how we came out."

Kirkland said the frequent rainfall was definitely a hindrance to farmers, who were prevented from getting into their fields during the regular harvest time.

The thunderstorms did, however, have one positive side effect.

"The rainfall brought cloud cover, which kept the heat down," he said.

Kirkland said the emergency management department is committed this year to bringing area residents the latest in weather monitoring and warning capabilities.

One project being considered is the creation of a local weather band that could be heard on any radio, not just the specialized National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radios.

"We're working on getting better communication between the National Weather Service, the public and our office," he said.

Though it's still early to be making predictions for 2008, Kirkland said long-range forecasts indicate the area could be in store for another mild year similar to 2007.

But he's not holding his breath that such a forecast will come true.

"We had a good year last year; that certainly doesn't mean we will have another quiet year," Kirkland said.