DFW Airport, the official climate site of record for the DFW Metroplex, finally hit 100°F yesterday. There will be multiple more chances of triple digit heat through Thursday before a weak cold front knocks temperatures back down into the mid-to-upper 90s for Friday and Saturday. The ridge that has been dominating our weather the last few weeks is expected to re-orient itself across the desert southwest opening up the door to northerly/northwesterly flow aloft across North Texas. This will help drive a weak frontal boundary into our area later this week. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will also be possible along the boundary. The upper ridge is then expected to migrate eastward back towards Texas which will pump up the heat again early next week.

For those wondering, no this is not the latest first 100 degree day of the season in Metroplex history. 1973 and 1906 both saw zero 100 degree days the entire summer. We typically average about 16 days of 100 degree heat in most summers, and the hottest average temperature is 97°F. We do have a significant El Niño that has developed in the equatorial Pacific. The interesting thing about this El Niño, unlike others, is the unusually colder waters in the northern Atlantic, the area of the central Pacific where the highest heat content is positioned (more west based), the unusual amount of warm waters along the west coast of the CONUS stretching into the Gulf of Alaska. All of these factors will play a role in the upcoming winter season in determining mean position of ridges and troughs and storm tracks.