Date of Award

8-1994

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Forestry (MF)

Department

Forestry

Abstract

Sayok's (1986) study and statistical analysis of the climate at Nacogdoches, Texas covering 1901 to 1980 is updated to include the most recent twelve years (1981-92) of records. Missing data are estimated, all analyses are repeated, and the new 1961-90 normal climate is compared to the 1951-80 and other normals. Results showed that the climate at Nacogdoches during the last decade was about the same as that in other recent decades. Thomthwaite's (1957) climate classification defines Nacogdoches as moist subhumid, third mesothermal, with moderate summer water deficiency, and a temperature effIciency regime equal to a fourth mesothermal climate. There are certain non-random processes contained in the 90-year record of annual precipitation, total number of raindays, maximum and minimum air temperature, hot days, and frost-free days. Further investigation into the non-randomness is warranted. About 71 percent of the variation in the monthly municipal water demand could be explained by three simple variables; viz., the monthly number of days which equaled or exceeded 35 °C (95 oF), the average monthly maximum temperature, and the reciprocal of monthly total precipitation (1/P). The extreme daily streamflow data for La Nana Creek best fit the LogPearson type III distribution while the annual total flow and annual peakflows best fit the Lognormal distribution. The addition of three recent years of record did not significantly affect the streamflow regimes described by Sayok (1986). Observed solar radiation data in 1989 were, on the average, 62.4 percent less than theoretical values calculated for a horizontal surface at the top of the atmosphere. Tornadoes in Nacogdoches County most frequently occurred in May and around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Based on the Poisson distribution there is a 48 percent chance that no tornadoes will occur in any given year and a 35 percent chance that one tornado will occur in any given year in Nacogdoches.

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