Tired of Fort Worth’s scorching summer? The excessive sweating soon may be over, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
The intensity of the heat crumpled records, caused injuries and deaths and fried more-than-a-few air conditioning units throughout Tarrant County this summer.
The high temperature dipped below 100 degrees on Aug. 28 for the first time since Aug. 16. Monday’s dip is the start of a four-day stretch of high temperatures falling below 100 degrees, according to the weather service.
Jennifer Dunn, a meteorologist at the weather service, said as September begins, Tarrant County finally will begin to cool off.
“September usually ends up being a transition month for us,” Dunn said.
That means it should start to cool off a bit, she said, but it doesn’t mean residents should look forward to rain anytime soon.
The seven-day forecast offers no chance at rain. Tarrant County is still in “extreme drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
In determining what is an area’s “hottest summer,” the National Weather Service charts the average temperature between June 1 and Aug. 31. Through Aug. 27, Fort Worth’s average temperature has been 88.9 degrees.
An average temperature of 88.9 degrees makes this summer the third-hottest summer on record in Fort Worth, according to the National Weather Service.
The median temperature, which is the number in between the highest and lowest high temperatures of the summer, was 101 degrees this summer, hotter than the summer of 2022’s median temperature of 100 degrees.
The average temperatures of 90.4 degrees in 2011 and 89.4 degrees in 1980 were hotter. The summer of 2022 was Fort Worth’s fourth-hottest summer ever, with an average temperature of 88.4 degrees. For 2023, the data is incomplete to show the average temperature.
With the forecasted temperatures, this summer has no chance of jumping into second, or first, place, but will securely stay at third, Dunn said.
Aug. 29 is forecasted to reach 97 degrees. Aug. 30 and 31 are forecasted to reach 98 degrees.
The amount of 100-degree days — 47 — is the same as the summer of 2022. However, this summer was made hotter because of the many 105-plus degree days recorded.
This summer, the high temperature reached 105 or higher on 28 different days. In 2022, Fort Worth saw seven days of summer reach 105-plus degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Summer officially ends on Sept. 23, the fall solstice. But for the National Weather Service, summer ends on Aug. 31.
Either way, it doesn’t mean Fort Worth’s seen the last of 100-degree days.
Already on the National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast, Sept. 1-3 will be above 100 degrees.
“It’s a very high likelihood that we’ll have additional 100-degree days throughout September,” Dunn said.
Matthew Sgroi is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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