Texas Heat: Hottest 30 days ever?

Posted at 3:48 PM on July 27, 2009 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

Another day of 100 degree heat for south Texas. Temperatures in Austin have hit or exceeded 100 degrees 24 of 27 days in July.

Newsflash: It's hot in Texas in July.

Okay, no big surprise here, but as the old weather joke goes..."How hot is it?"

This may be the hottest 30 days ever in parts of Texas. Records for the hottest month ever may tumble this week in Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio Texas. The average temperature in these cities has been close to 90 degrees in July. That's not the average high temperature, that's the daily mean temperature. The daily mean is arrived at by adding the daily minimum and maximum temperatures and dividing by two.

The Texas heat this month has been the other side of the weather story that has brought cooler than average weather to Minnesota and the eastern United States. Jet stream patterns usually make it cool in one place and hot somewhere else.

So is this evidence of climate change or global warming? No. Just like the previous post about the cool northeast summer, the hottest month ever in Texas is not proof of climate change. It's weather, not climate. When you look at the longer term picture over years and decades, the record heat may fit into an overall pattern, but one month does not a climate change make.

The forecast calls for more 100 degree heat in Texas this week. Let's see if parts of Texas finish July as the hottest month ever on record. It will be interesting to see if the climate change naysayers pick up that story as a headline.

PH

Comments (2)

Yes, Austin TX broke our record for hottest month ever, previous record was in 1860. Previous was 89.1 avg, this was 89.5. Our June was 2nd hottest ever, and 4th driest. We remain in "Exceptional" drought, down about 30" (about 1/2 avg) over the last 20 months. Drought is more intense than the great '50s one, but shorter ... SO FAR.

Posted by Sandy | August 1, 2009 8:40 AM

Seems to me that the summer of 1981 was also called the hottest summer on record too. I lived it (Austin/San Antonio/San Marcos) and yes for a recent transplant from Western New York, I nearly died that summer. Can you believe that some people down there don't have AC? OMG... I finally wised up after 12 years or so and moved back to the more temperate climes in NW Wisconsin!

Posted by Reboots DaMachina | August 8, 2009 5:57 PM

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