On June 28th Houston, TX set a new snowfall record. The odd measurement is the result of a peculiar way certain weather observations are logged into the official record.
The National Weather Service recognizes hailed as a form of snow. So when it was reported that Houston Intercontinental Airport (KIAH) saw a trace of hail on Friday, June 28, 2019, it was a record snowfall for that date.
Official Report From National Weather Service
Temperature reached 94°F that afternoon, but an afternoon storm produced small hail over the airport, which was the trace of “snow” that now sits in the records. A “trace” of snow occurs when snow falls and melts on contact with the ground.
Observations by The National Weather Service at official weather stations in the United States break down daily precipitation totals between rain and snow. The category for snow includes all forms of accumulating ice—snow, sleet, and hail, despite the fact that hail forms through a completely different process from wintry precipitation.
Houston’s Intercontinental Airport has reported hail in its observations during the summer months five previous times. The airport previously reported summertime hail during June in 1990, 1996, and 2012, and once in July 2011.