Contact: Rudy Bartels (rbarte1@lsu.edu)

Southern Regional Climate Center

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Southern Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | September 2017 

Southern Region

September 2017

Highlights for the Region

• Five of six states in the Southern 

Region experienced cooler than normal 

temperatures this summer (June–August). 

This is in direct contrast to this past winter 

and spring. 

• Precipitation was abundant in 

southwestern Louisiana and southeastern 

Texas in August due to Hurricane Harvey. 

Summer 2017 was the wettest summer on 

record (since 1895) throughout the entire 

Southern Region. 

• On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made 

landfall near Rockport, Texas, as a Category 

4 hurricane with maximum sustained 

winds of 130 mph. Harvey became the 

first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall 

in Texas since Carla in 1961. The highest 

reported rainfall total was 51.88 inches at 

Cedar Bayou near Highlands, Texas.

National – Significant Events for August and Summer 2017 

Regional – Climate Overview for June to August 2017

Percent of Normal Precipitation (%)

June 1, 2016–August 31, 2017

August average streamflow compared to 

historical streamflow. 

Departure from Normal Temperature (°F) 

June 1, 2017–August 31, 2017

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies Streamflows

The above figure illustrates August average 

streamflow in the Texas Gulf and lower 

Mississippi basins as compared to historical 

streamflow. Streamflows in Texas are exhibiting 

near normal flow, except for the southeastern 

counties where a cluster of stations are above 

normal. In the central counties of Texas, 

the streamflow is near normal to below 

normal. There are areas in central Louisiana, 

Mississippi, and southern Arkansas that are 

reporting well above normal streamflow.

June–August 2017 precipitation ranks as the 

wettest June–August on record (since 1895) 

throughout the region. Parts of southeastern 

Texas reported 300 percent or more of normal 

precipitation. Most of the precipitation in 

southeastern Texas occurred in August during 

Hurricane Harvey. Much of Arkansas, Louisiana, 

eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and southern 

Mississippi reported 150–200 percent of 

normal precipitation. In contrast, extreme 

southern Texas reported 5–50 percent of 

normal precipitation. 

Overall, temperatures were below normal 

for June–August, 2017. There were clusters 

of 1°–3°F below normal temperatures in all 

of the Southern Region states. There was a 

cluster of 4°F below normal temperatures 

in northwestern Arkansas. There were a 

few areas in central Mississippi, western 

Oklahoma, and throughout north, west and 

south Texas that reported 2°–4°F above 

normal temperatures. Every state in the 

Southern Region had clusters of near normal 

temperatures. 

The average U.S. temperature during May was 60.6°F, 0.4°F above average. The spring U.S. temperature was 

53.5°F, 2.6°F above average, and the eighth highest on record. May U.S. precipitation was 3.31 inches, 0.40 

inch above average. The spring precipitation total was 9.39 inches, 1.45 inches above average, and the 11th 

wettest on record. 

Material provided in this map was compiled from NOAA’s State of the Climate Reports. For more information 

please visit: www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc.
#regionalclimateoutlooks

Contact: Rudy Bartels (rbarte1@lsu.edu)

Southern Regional Climate Center

Southern Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook | September 2017

Regional – Impacts for June–August 2017

Earth Scan Lab at Louisiana State University

www.esl.lsu.edu

NOAA/NWS Climate Prediction Center

www.cpc.noaa.gov

NOAA/NOS Gulf of Mexico Coastal Services Center

www.csc.noaa.gov

NOAA Gulf of Mexico Collaboration Team

www.regions.noaa.gov

NOAA/NESDIS National Centers for Environmental 

Information

www.ncei.noaa.gov

NOAA/NWS Southern Region 

www.srh.noaa.gov 

Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program

www.southernclimate.org

Southern Regional Climate Center

www.srcc.lsu.edu

Gulf Region Partners

According to the Climate Prediction Center, fall (October to December) temperatures for the 

Southern Region are predicted to be above normal in all six states, with the greatest chance 

for warmer temperatures being in western Texas.

For most of the region, there is an greater chance for precipitation to be below normal in the 

fall. The greatest chance for below normal precipitation is in eastern Texas, Louisiana, and 

southwestern Mississippi. 

On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Harvey 

became the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Carla in 1961. Port Aransas reported sustained winds of 110 mph with a gust 

to 132 mph. After landfall, Harvey virtually stalled before re-emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on August 28th. Harvey then made its final landfall in 

the early morning hours of August 30, near Cameron, Louisiana. The intensity and slow movement of Harvey created a catastrophic combination of 

flooding, wind damage, and storm surge. Devastating flooding occurred in Houston and the Beaumont/Port Arthur area. Widespread storm totals 

of greater than 40 inches inundated the Houston area. The highest reported total was 51.88 inches at Cedar Bayou near Highlands, Texas. That total 

stands as the highest single storm total on record in the U.S., outside of Hawaii. On August 29, the Port Arthur SE Texas Regional Airport recorded 

26.03 inches of rain. Heavy rainfall then spread into Louisiana with areas receiving over 20 inches, including Bayou Conway, which received 22.25 

inches, and Bayou Toro, which received 20.62 inches. Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist, summed up Harvey: “Harvey is head 

and shoulders above all previous multi-day storms ever recorded in the United States. I examined 18 different combinations of storm lengths and 

area sizes ... Harvey was the worst in all but one.” According to Dr. Nielsen-Gammon, the most impressive record was the five-day total over 10,000 

square miles. “For Harvey to average 34.72 inches over five days across that large an area is ridiculous. The previous all-time U.S. record, set in 

Texas back in 1899, was estimated at 21.39 inches. Harvey exceeded that record by 62%.” 

The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season started June 1 

and the peak of hurricane season is September 10. 

There have already been 11 named storms so far 

this season in the Atlantic. Three of those 11 named 

storms have become major hurricanes (Harvey, 

Irma, and Jose), which are Category three or greater. 

Two of those major hurricanes have made landfall in 

the United States, Harvey in Texas (August) and Irma 

in Florida (early September).

CPC Three-Month Outlook 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Temperature Precipitation 

A = Above normal temperatures 

B = Below normal rainfall

EC = Equal chances

N = Normal

Outlook for Oct–Dec 2017

Hurricane Harvey

Above: Satellite image of Hurricane Harvey (left), precipitation map from Harvey (middle), projected path of Hurricane Harvey (right).