FEMA Disasters Declarations 2007

Severe US Weather 2007

Severe International Weather 2007

Emergencies

Since April 2007 to July 2007, the mid-US region has been under siege from a bizarre weather pattern. An enormous storm, resembling a landlocked hurricane has been spinning in a counterclockwise, nearly stationary pattern over  Texas, Oklahoma & Kansas. It is not a normal storm. It is a tropical storm. Like blades of a fan, this tropical, land hurricane has been spinning above this area for 3 months hitting the same region with bands of torrential rains and flooding on a daily basis. 

As is typical of tropical weather, it rained ever day at the same time (around 4 pm) in northern Texas for more than 3 months with only 3 dry days between April and the and of June 2007.

To understand why this is more than a stalled storm, you need to know the historical weather characteristics of this region. Texas is a hot, dry state. Late May to Late September, the weather is typically from the high 90's to 120 degrees Fahrenheit on a daily basis. Most of the rain occurs between March and May with a few sprinkles in June. These tend to be fairly volatile thunderstorms with hail and lightening caused from a cold air sweeping into Texas from the bottom of the Rocky mountains which builds into huge thunderheads at the point where the cold front encounters the warm Gulf high pressure system. The storms most often form July through late September is usually bone dry and above 110 degrees F and the humidity levels are around 47 to 57%.