The Dr. Neil Frank's 1998 Weather Almanac prepared and sponsored by KHOU-TV Houston and Kroger Grocery Stores is now available at participating Krogers for only 99 cents. In addition, proceeds from the sales of the almanac will go to the Center to help build the Weather Museum. The Almanac includes a variety of information including a month-by-month year's look at weather statistics for Houston and Galveston, valuable information on hurricanes, safety precautions, tornadoes, weather history and other weather information.

Meanwhile plans for the Weather Museum continue. Persons who come for tours now visit the historical weather recording equipment at the museum, as part of the overall tour of the Weather Research Center. The bare necessities are planned to be completed by early summer so that the space can be used for the upcoming Weather Camp.

Fund raising continues with help from friends like Dr. Neil Frank and KHOU-TV. If your company has a matching grant program or other type of community service, please encourage them to help promote the Weather Museum. As this year has already demonstrated, the weather plays an important role in all of our lives. While we cannot change the weather, we can learn enough about it through education to try and survive its threats.

The phenomena of El Nino continues to change the weather patterns allowing for an increased number of storms to track further south than what is normal for this time of the year. During an El Nino year, storms have typically formed off the California coast, then have tracked into Texas and into the Gulf of Mexico.

A significant winter storm recently formed off a Pacific cold front in the Gulf of Mexico on February 2, then proceeded up the Atlantic Coast. This storm brought the Gulf Coast higher tides, flooding and heavy rains. The same system washed away beach front properties along the California coast. During El Nino years, the winter storms appear to be more numerous and intense than those that occur during non-El Nino years. Another such storm brought wind gusts of 60 MPH to the Mississippi coast on February 15, causing significant pier damage due to increased tides.

A little closer to home here in Southeast Texas, some of these storms have produced some ill-effects. So far this February, Fort Bend County has experienced two tornadoes. Both have occurred within one week of each other. The first affected Westheimer Airport on Tuesday, February 10. Maximum winds of 70 MPH were recorded with this storm. Another storm system brought along more severe weather on Monday, February 16 when a tornado touched down near the First Colony Mall, southwest of Houston along Highway 59. A portion of a wall on one side of a Dillard's department store was ripped out. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.

Could the frequency of these storms be common? February is typically the beginning for severe weather events for most of Texas. Since 1950, Fort Bend County has had ten out of its thirty-three (about 30 percent) tornadoes in the first three months of the year. All of these tornadoes have been classified either F0 or F1, not causing much damage. Below is a tabulation of Fort Bend County tornadoes:

The Weather Research Center's annual board meeting was held on January 29. Dr. John Freeman volunteered to participate in the Houston Engineering and Science Career and Awards Day which will be held March 27 at the Astros arena. Dr. Freeman also attended a career meeting for future meteorologists with the local chapter of the AMS at Texas A&M University on February 10.

The Third Annual Weatherman's golf tournament to benefit the Weather Museum will be held Monday, April 20, at Hearthstone Country Club. Space is limited - so register your teams now! Door prizes keeping coming in, so work on your stretch because door prize tickets will be $10 per stretch - or put a really tall person on your team so he can stretch your tickets for you! There is still plenty of opportunity to be a sponsor of any sort (sign, beverage cart, hole, etc.). For more information, please call the Center.

A local girl scout troop were the first weather campers this year. Five scouts attended a Saturday edition of weather camp which combined the normal three day curriculum into one. Topics included hurricanes, severe weather and forecasting. Favorites among the scouts were (of course) the tornado videos. The upcoming summer edition of Weather Camp is already in the works. This year, we have re-worked the titles and topics to make them more appealing to students.

There is still plenty of space available for the upcoming summer sessions. For more information, or for a descriptive brochure, please call or e-mail the Center.

Computers, monitors and printers are needed for weather camp sessions and the Weather Museum. These computers provide children as well as adults a visual aid on the weather process. Also important weather safety rules are illustrated through the computers. Please let us know if your company has any surplus equipment, or any program that would provide such assistance. Also, chairs and tables are needed. If you have anything you would like to donate to the Center, please call or e-mail.

Your company can sponsor one or all of the sessions of Weather Camp this summer. This sponsorship would entitle your company to place its name on a session of Weather Camp for $1,000. You can be the exclusive sponsor of all the Weather Camps for $10,000. Your company name will be added to all the literature, T-shirts and in the press releases covering the weather camp. Your company will also be given advertising space in the Center's newsletter and on the Centers web site. Show that your care about weather and education. Please call or e-mail for more details.

Houston is more fortunate compared to some of the other Gulf Coast cities, being only 1.05 inches above normal. Compare that to New Orleans which is 14.22 inches above normal. The temperature represents the average temperature (maximum/minimum).