Climate of Dallas, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is part of a series on: |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Dallas Portal |
The city of Dallas, Texas (USA) has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa), yet the city and the surrounding part of Texas also tends to receive warm, dry winds from the north and west in the summer. In the winter, strong cold fronts from the north pass through Dallas, occasionally plummeting nightly lows between 10 °F (−12 °C) and 20 °F (−7 °C). Snowfall is seen on average 3-4 1/2 days out of the year and snow accumulation is seen 2-3 1/2 days out of the year.[1] Occasionally, warm and humid air from the south overrides cold, dry air, leading to freezing rain, sleet which usually causes major disruptions in the city for a day or two if the roads and highways become dangerously slick.
Spring and autumn bring very pleasant weather to the area and are usually the best times to visit. In the spring months, residents and visitors appreciate the beauty of the vibrant wildflowers (such as the bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush and other flora) which bloom in spring and are planted around the highways throughout Texas.[2] In the spring the weather can be quite volatile and can change dramatically in a matter of minutes. Barring storms, springtime is very mild and enjoyable in the city. The weather in Dallas is also very pleasant between late September and early November, and unlike springtime, major storms rarely form in the area.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture places the city of Dallas in Plant Hardiness Zone 8a.[3] Dallas has the 12th worst ozone air pollution in the nation according to the American Lung Association, ranking it behind Los Angeles and Houston.[4] Much of the air pollution in Dallas, and the DFW Metroplex in general, comes from air pollution caused by exhaust from automobiles. Due to Dallas's spread out nature and high amount of urban sprawl, automobiles are the only available mode of transportation for many. Another major contributor the hazardous materials incineration plant at TXI in the southern-most suburb of Midlothian, TX, as well as the other cement plants in Midlothian, TX.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Volatile weather
[edit] Tornadoes
Over time, tornadoes are perhaps the biggest threat to the city. Dallas was hit by a powerful tornado on 2 April 1957, The tornado would have likely been an F3.[6] On March 28, 2000, the “Fort Worth Tornado” impacted Dallas's neighbor Fort Worth's downtown, and a tornado in Arlington, Texas also happened that day damaging some homes. Even though Dallas lies at the lower end of the "Tornado Alley", that day had the worst tornadoes to happen to the metroplex in the last 50 years.
[edit] Floods
Major flooding occurred on the Trinity River in the years 1844, 1866, 1871, and 1890, but a major event in the spring of 1908 set in motion the harnessing of the river. On 26 May 1908, the Trinity River reached a depth of 52.6 feet (16.03 m) and a width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km).[7] Five people died, 4,000 were left homeless, and property damages were estimated at $2.5 million.
| “ | Now the wreckage of a shed or outhouse would move by, followed by a drowned swine or other livestock. The construction forces of the Texas & Pacific worked feverishly to safeguard the long trestle carrying their tracks across the stream. Suddenly this whole structure turned on its side down-stream, broke loose from the rest of the track at one end and swung out into the middle of the current and began breaking up, first into large sections and then into smaller pieces, rushing madly along to some uncertain destination. [Approximately half a dozen of the workmen fell into the torrent at this point; exaggerated reports of their drowning swept the city.] | ” |
|
—C.L. Moss, [7] |
||
Dallas was without power for three days, all telephone and telegraph service was down, and rail service was canceled. The only way to reach Oak Cliff was by boat.[8] West Dallas was hit harder than any other part of the city—the Dallas Times Herald said "indescribable suffering" plagued the area. Much to the horror of residents, thousands of livestock drowned in the flood and some became lodged in the tops of trees—the stench of their decay hung over the city as the water subsided.[7]
After the disastrous flood, the city wanted to find a way to control the reckless Trinity and to build a bridge linking Oak Cliff and Dallas. The immediate reaction was citizens and the city clamoring to build an indestructible, all-weather crossing over the Trinity. This had already been tried following the 1890 flood—the result was the "Long Wooden Bridge" that connected Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff and Cadiz in Dallas, but the resulting unstable bridge was easily washed away by the 1908 flood. George B. Dealey, publisher of the Dallas Morning News, proposed a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) concrete bridge based on a bridge crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City. Ultimately a US$650,000 bond election was approved and in 1912, the Oak Cliff viaduct (now the Houston Street viaduct) was opened among festivities drawing 58,000 spectators. The bridge, at the time, was the longest concrete structure in the world.[7]
[edit] Historical averages
| Weather averages for Climate of Dallas, Texas | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °F (°C) | 55 (13) | 61 (16) | 69 (21) | 77 (25) | 84 (29) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 89 (32) | 79 (26) | 66 (19) | 57 (14) | |
| Average low °F (°C) | 36 (2) | 41 (5) | 49 (9) | 56 (13) | 65 (18) | 73 (23) | 77 (25) | 76 (24) | 69 (21) | 58 (14) | 47 (8) | 39 (4) | |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.89 (48) | 2.31 (58.7) | 3.13 (79.5) | 3.46 (87.9) | 5.30 (134.6) | 3.92 (99.6) | 2.43 (61.7) | 2.17 (55.1) | 2.65 (67.3) | 4.65 (118.1) | 2.61 (66.3) | 2.53 (64.3) | |
| Source: weather.com [9] 2008-01-10 | |||||||||||||
The average daily low in Dallas is 57 °F (14 °C) and the average daily high in Dallas is 77 °F (25 °C).[9]
Dallas receives approximately 37.1 inches (942.3 mm) of rain per year, much of which is delivered in the spring.
[edit] References
- ^ NOAA - DFW Climate. Retrieved on 26 March 2006.
- ^ TXDOT - Wildflower and Fall Foliage. Retrieved on 17 April 2007.
- ^ USNA - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: South-Midwest US. Retrieved on 13 June 2006.
- ^ Lungusa.com. Retrieved on 2 March 2006.
- ^ Downwindersatrisk.org - Pollution in Midlothian. Retrieved on 17 April 2006.
- ^ Stormtrack.org - APRIL 2, 1957: DALLAS'S DATE WITH DISASTER. Retrieved on 17 April 2006.
- ^ a b c d Payne, Darwin (1982). "Chapter V: A New Century, A New Dallas", Dallas, an illustrated history. Woodland Hills, California: Windsor Publications, 119-155. ISBN 0-89781-034-1.
- ^ Dallas Historical Society - Dallas History. Retrieved 20 April 2006.
- ^ a b Monthly Averages for Dallas, TX. Retrieved on Jan 10, 2008.
