06.04.2013 Views

ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS - Brit - Botanical Research ...

ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS - Brit - Botanical Research ...

ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF EAST TEXAS - Brit - Botanical Research ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

CLIMATE <strong>OF</strong> <strong>EAST</strong> <strong>TEXAS</strong>/INTRODUCTION 67<br />

Mean annual temperature in East Texas varies from nearly 70° F (21° C) in the south<br />

(Bexar, DeWitt, and Wilson counties) to about 64° F (18° C) in the north (along the Red River)<br />

(Griffiths & Orton 1968) (Fig. 35), but temperatures of 0° F (-18° C) and 110° F (43° C) are<br />

occasionally seen in winter and summer respectively, with even more extreme readings rarely<br />

observed. The highest East Texas temperature reading, 118° F (48° C), was recorded for<br />

McKinney in Collin County in 1936 (Bomar 1995). Some parts of East Texas and adjacent<br />

areas have recently experienced their hottest temperatures ever—an example is the all-time<br />

record of 112° F (44.4° C) set in College Station on September 4, 2000 (National Weather<br />

Service 2000). Other September 2000 records include Austin at 112° F, San Antonio at 111° F<br />

(43.8° C), and Houston at 109° F (42.7° C) (National Weather Service 2000, 2003c). Dallas-<br />

Fort Worth, at the western margin of the area, apparently has the East Texas record for<br />

number of days with a temperature of 100° F (38° C) or above, experiencing 69 such days<br />

in the heat wave of 1980 (D. Finfrock, pers. comm.). The coldest temperatures recorded in<br />

East Texas include -13° F (-25° C) (Paris) and -8° F (-22° C) (Tyler), both in the unusually<br />

cold winter of 1899 (Bomar 1995). In fact, virtually all of East Texas, even the southernmost<br />

parts, has experienced temperatures as low as 5° F (-15° C)—for example, during the historic<br />

cold waves of 1889 and 1989 (Bomar 1995). The mean length of the frost-free period in the<br />

area is given in Figure 36.<br />

Native vegetation has therefore evolved with, and is adapted to, such recurrent extremes.<br />

A good example of the different effects of extreme weather on native versus introduced plants<br />

occurred in December of 1983. During that prolonged, intense cold spell, introduced landscape<br />

plants in the northwestern parts of East Texas suffered extensive damage, while most<br />

native plants were not adversely affected. However, even native plants can be damaged under<br />

exceptional circumstances. An example is the phenomenon known as false spring. As discussed<br />

by Stahle (1990) and Stahle and Cleaveland (1995), a false spring episode includes<br />

FIG.36/MEAN LENGTH (IN DAYS) <strong>OF</strong> FROST-FREE PERIOD FOR <strong>TEXAS</strong> (ADAPTED FROM GRIFFITHS & ORTON [1968] BY HATCH ET AL.[1990]).

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!