Extreme weather scorched 2009

Although the Rio Grande Valley was spared this year from hurricane activity, the region saw plenty of drastic weather in 2009.

The usual drought was amplified this summer by record-high temperatures that hovered around the 100-degree mark through the entire season.

July was McAllen’s hottest on record, according to the National Weather Service. McAllen, for example, was about 7 degrees hotter on average this July than in previous years.

The highest temperature recorded that month was 109 degrees. Only two days that month had a high below 100 degrees. The coolest temperature was 78 degrees.

The blistering temperatures were blamed for several deaths across the Valley, including that of a 4-year-old girl who was left in a Ford Expedition while it was parked at a flea market in Brownsville.

The child’s mother was arrested on charges of abandoning or endangering a child after the child died at a local hospital from heat-related injuries on Aug. 3.

Several illegal immigrants also died in the region while attempting to cross the Rio Grande.

In August, cloud cover and rain activity gave the area temporary relief from the scorching temperatures for several days.

Summer’s heat was eventually countered with heavy rain and hail in September. Thunderstorms boomed through most of the Valley that month while marble-sized hail pounded Brownsville and pea-sized hail struck areas in Roma. Drought conditions were squashed by that precipitation in Deep South Texas, though abnormally dry weather remained in regions like Corpus Christi and Kingsville.

Several cold fronts blustered through Hidalgo County in early October, bringing the region temperatures as low as the mid-60s.

Although it is unclear what weather will be like in the Valley this winter season, the El Niño phenomenon in years past has brought cooler than usual temperatures and above average precipitation, meaning the region could see more rain over the winter.

Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.