Abilene wet, cold mid-week blast 'unusual for early September'

It got wet in Abilene on Wednesday.

However, there's no official count on just how much of an impact this unusual storm system has had here.

The measuring devices at Abilene Regional Airport, where the National Weather Service takes official readings, was not providing data Wednesday afternoon.

So, Mark Cunningham, a meteorologist for the service stationed in San Angelo, had to rely on radar estimates of about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain for the city, thanks to the slow-moving, upper-level disturbance that has affected several Midwest states Tuesday and Wednesday.

"It's a strong front for early September," Cuningham said Wednesday afternoon. "This is something we'd see usually in mid- to late-September."

The system also plunged Abilene and the Big Country into autumn-like temperatures, with a recorded daytime high temperature Wednesday of about 52 degrees, a steep decline from Tuesday's 92 degrees and Monday's 96 degrees.

As it's a slow-moving system, Cunningham said the rain chances and cooler-than-average temperatures are expected to remain through Friday. Drier and warmer air should return for the weekend and early next week, he said.

Before much of Wednesday's rain fell, the airport reported about a half-inch of rain in September, which left the city with a year-to-date precipitation total of 18.07 inches. Cunningham said the total is slightly less than a half-inch above normal for this time of year.

Wednesday's rainfall, whatever the total is determined to be, will push that number closer to 2 or 3 inches above normal, he said.

Meanwhile, Abilene Fire Department stations reported Wednesday afternoon approximately the same numbers as the NWS guess.

Station 6, on South Danville Drive, was the wettest of the eight stations, recording 2.25 inches. Station 8, on Buffalo Gap Road, reported only 1.1 inches.

In light of the ground-soaking moisture, Taylor County Judge Downing Bolls on Wednesday lifted the burn ban in place since July 14. His order encouraged residents to contact the local fire chief and have safety measures in place before attempting a burn. 

Between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Abilene police worked nine vehicle crashes in the city, of which all but one were classified as minor. There were no Tuesday overnight collisions when the storm first rolled into the city.  

North of Abilene, the rainmaker provided more impact in the Big Country area late Tuesday and early Wednesday — more than 6 inches of rain reportedly fell between Hamlin and Stamford.

The NWS issued a flood warning for Lake Stamford area, in effect through Friday, while the California Creek near Stamford is also under a flood warning through Thursday.

The weather system brought cold temperatures to states such as Wyoming and Colorado  on Tuesday, with snow falling in spots around Denver where wildfires have been raging. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, it was 39 degrees in Denver.

In Texas, cities in the Panhandle region woke up Wednesday to snow mixed with rain, though there were no accumulations, Cunningham said.