Category Archives: Climate

DFW SETS ANOTHER RECORD HIGH YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 / 2017 HOTTEST FEBRUARY / 2016-17 HOTTEST WINTER

DFW high temperature yesterday, officially at DFW Airport, was 88°F. This breaks the old record of 86°F set in 1933.

This also adds to the record number of 80+ degree days set in any winter. 2016-2017 is the winter with the most 80+ degree days currently at 12. The old record was 10 set in the 2005-2006 and 1908-1909 winter seasons.

*February, with only 4 days left in the month, is on target to be the hottest February in DFW history with an average mean temperature so far of 60.7°F. This shatters the old record of 58.4°F set in 1976.

*The winter of 2016-2017 is also set to be the hottest winter on record for DFW (as measured December 1st through February 28th) with a mean average temperature of 53.9°F. This breaks the old record of 53.1°F set in the 1999-2000 winter.

* Given the forecast through the end of February, these statistics will likely hold, but the final averages may change slightly.

RECORD HIGH TIED YESTERDAY JANUARY 10, 2017 AT DFW

The record of 79°F set in 1995 was tied yesterday, January 10, 2017, at DFW Airport. The high temperature reached 79°F yesterday afternoon, despite a weak cold front moving through the area. That front will retreat north today putting us back in the warm sector again today. High temperatures today will be flirting in record territory. The record for January 11th is 83°F set in 1911, and the forecasted high is 81°F.

COLDEST SINCE 2011 FOR DFW THIS PAST WEEKEND

This past weekend’s Arctic air outbreak left us the coldest DFW has been since 2011. The low temperature of 14°F on Saturday, January 7, 2017 was the coldest since February 2, 2011 when the mercury hit 13°F. The high temperature of 27°F on Friday, January 6, 2017 was a record low maximum temperature for that date which broke the old record low maximum temperature of 29°F set in 1970. The cold air over the weekend was the coldest outbreak of cold air for the nation as a whole since 1996. There was 0.10 of an inch of snowfall officially recorded at DFW Airport on Friday, January 6, 2017, nearly all of which remained on the ground on Saturday, January 7, 2017.

2016 IS THE HOTTEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD AT DFW

The unprecedented heat continues with November 2016 being the hottest November on record at DFW Airport. The mean average temperature is 63.6°F breaking the old record of 63.2°F set in 1909. Interestingly, December 1909 was anything but warm and is one the top coldest Decembers on record for DFW. I wonder if 2016 will follow a similar pattern?

COLD AIR TO FINALLY ARRIVE IN NORTH TEXAS

So far this fall it has been exceptionally warm, but things are about to change as a major cold front is expected by Thursday night. For those wondering where all the cold air has been, some of it is about to arrive as the coldest air so far this season invades North Texas. The cold air has been locked up on the other side of the globe across much of Russia and Europe. In parts of Russia, temperature departures have been running as much as 50 below normal. Global signals have been pointing to a northern hemispheric pattern change for about the last ten days or so and the beginning will be occurring later this week.

Until the cold air arrives, near record breaking heat will be possible, especially tomorrow where temperatures may sore into the mid and upper 80s for highs. As a strong upper storm system digs along the west coast, southwesterly flow aloft and southerly flow at the surface will help bring up Gulf moisture into the area beginning tomorrow into Thursday. As the storm system begins pushing out onto the Plains, height falls will overspread North Texas allowing the pressure gradient to tighten making for a very windy day Thursday with gusts up to 35 mph possible. A strong cold front will push southward on Thursday night. As it does so, an initial EML will give way some scattered showers and thunderstorm development along the boundary as it pushes through the area Thursday night into early Friday morning. Not everyone will get rain, and the further east one goes across the forecast area, the better the rain chances.

Behind the cold front, expect much cooler/colder air will invade the area. Friday will see the high temperatures probably earlier in the day with near steady to slowly falling temperatures throughout the day. Lows by Saturday morning will for sure fall into the 40s area wide and highs on Saturday will struggle to reach 60°F, even under full insolation. By Sunday morning, the high pressure cell will build directly overhead into North Texas allowing for clear skies and an excellent radiational cooling setup. Lows should drop into the 30s area wide with some of the colder spots reaching freezing. The first frost of the season looks like a good bet for much of the area on Sunday morning.

DFW SETS UNPRECEDENTED RECORD OF BEING LATEST TO EVER FALL BELOW 50°F

Officially at DFW Airport, the mercury has not fallen below 50°F. There are currently no indications that it will do so anytime soon. The old record was actually set last year on November 8, 2015 as the latest date to fall below 50°F. Below are the top 5 latest dates that DFW has not fallen below 50°F:

  1. 2016 ?
  2. November 8, 2015
  3. November 3, 2004 and 1950
  4. October 31, 2014
  5. October 30, 1931

Whenever we do actually fall below 50°F this season will be some unprecedented record for the area. Currently, there are no indications we will fall below 40°F. That record may also be in jeopardy if we don’t do so by the end of the month.

HOTTEST OCTOBER AND HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR DFW?

So far this October, the mercury at DFW Airport has officially not fallen below 50°F. Given the weather pattern out through the end of the month, it is pretty much a lock that we will not fall below 50°F before October is over. There has only been four other years in weather recorded history that the temperature failed to fall below 50°F, 1947 (53°F lowest), 1950 (51°F lowest), 2004 (51°F lowest), and 2015 (51°F lowest). In addition, October 2016 is on track to be the warmest October ever recorded with a mean running temperature of 74°F (through October 28th). The entire year of 2016 is currently on track to be the hottest year in DFW weather recorded history with a mean temperature of 71.7°F (through October 28th).

DFW OFFICIALLY HITS 100°F FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SUMMER

On July 22, 2016, DFW Airport records its first 100°F temperature of the 2016 summer season. The average first day for triple digit heat is usually around July 1st. The above normal precipitation, both year-to-date and since last year, has kept soils moist and greenery unusually lush well into July. In conjunction with strong summer ridging, which has largely been centered in the desert southwest part of the CONUS this summer, has prevented temperatures from being too terribly hot by Texas standards. We may again flirt with the century mark today, but temperatures will be coming down as the ridge retrogrades back west from troughiness diving into the northern part of the country. This will allow some rain chances to creep back into our forecast next week and temperatures should stay below the century mark for much of next week.