“There are four seasons in Texas – December, January, February and Summer”

If you had to pick one word to define the weather at Sheppard it would have to be HOT. If you had a second word, it would have to be WINDY. Third on the list would be THUNDERSTORMS. These are the three major kinds of weather at Sheppard that you can expect throughout the year.
 

Hot
It all starts as early as February when it is not unheard of to exceed 32 C (90 F) for high temperatures. Though spring is just around the corner (March 21), winter sometimes seems like a distant memory by the end of February and it seems that summer often lingers until Christmas. The average high temperatures ranges from a rather comfortable 14 (57 F) in February to 19 (66 F) in March, 24 C (75 F) in April and 29 (84 F) in May. June brings the first really hot weather, with an average temperature of 34 (93 F), then July and August have a average daily temperatures over 35 (95 F), with many days over 38 (100 F). The all-time record high at Sheppard occurred in the month of July at 47.2 (117 F). The range of months where temperatures can (and often do) exceed 38 (100 F) is from March until October. In September it cools down a bit to an average high of 31 (88 F), then 26 (79 F) in October and 18 C (64 F) in November. However, every month of the year has experienced a day over 29 (84 F). During winter, it occasionally gets cold (below -10 (14 F) in the month of December, January and February, but wind chill can be worse than temperature, with wind chills often going below -15 (5 F).
 

Windy
The average wind at Sheppard is a brisk 11 knots. Taking into consideration that winds usually decrease at night, the average daytime winds are around 15 knots, with 20 or even 25 knots occurring frequently. With cold fronts and thunderstorms, wind often exceed 35 knots (considered the minimum to cause wind damage), and every month of the year has recorded wind speeds in excess of 45 knots. The record wind speed at Sheppard is 96 knots, recorded during a thunderstorm in June of 1995. The average wind direction is southwest from March to November. From December through February, the winds are usually northerly.
 

Thunderstorms
North Texas lies in the heart of what many people refer to as “Tornado Alley”. This part of the United States is notorious for the intensity and frequency of severe weather, including damaging winds, frequent lighting, flash floods, large hail (yes, it will damage your car) and the dreaded tornado. In fact, Wichita Falls has the distinction of being in the record books of terrible tornadoes. In 1979, a 3 kilometer wide tornado, which had 250 knots winds, killed 43 people as it went through the town. The peak months for tornadoes and other severe weather are April and May. Thunderstorm season starts in March and goes through October. Thunderstorms are extremely dangerous here because of their tremendous size (some can be over 20 km tall), rapid movement (speeds exceeding 80 km/hr) and rapid growth rated (2 km/min in severe storms). In the spring and summer months, it can be clear and sunny at 11:00 a.m. and there could be a severe thunderstorm at noon. Pay close attention to watches and warnings issued over local television and radio stations and always take cover if you hear a siren. (Sirens are tested the first Monday of each month).