SEVERE COLD EXPECTED THIS CHRISTMAS AT DFW

Key Messages:

  • Severe cold Arctic outbreak expected for Christmas. Arctic front arrives early Thursday.
  • Very cold temperatures with lows in the single digits both Friday and Saturday mornings.
  • Wind chill values will be below zero Thursday night into Friday morning.
  • Very strong winds expected on Thursday behind the front.
  • No snow or ice is expected outside of a few flurries.
  • Temperatures to stay below freezing for 72 hours (from Thursday to Christmas Day)
  • Pipes will burst if not properly wrapped and protected
  • This will be the coldest Christmas since 1989.

A major Arctic airmass that has been building in Canada seeded by air from Siberia will plunge southward into the lower 48 this week. The high pressure associated with this airmass is progged to be some 1060+ mb and may challenge high pressure records for the lower 48. This will undoubtedly bring a severe cold snap to much of Texas for the holiday. Residents, especially those planning on being out of town, should prepare their homes by wrapping their pipes. Temperatures at the coldest point could potentially reach the upper single digits at DFW. This is cold enough to cause infrastructure damage in this region and is considered severe cold. Freezes will likely reach all the way into Northern Mexico and into the Lower Rio Grande Valley with this.

The Arctic front is expected to arrive on very early Thursday with plunging temperatures behind it. Temps will likely be in the single digits across all of North Texas by Friday morning with wind chills below zero. This will not be a repeat of the cold air outbreaks of December 1983, December 1989, or most recently, February 2021. We simply will not get that cold, nor is the longevity of this cold air outbreak expected to be that long. However, this will be the coldest Christmas since 1989 for DFW. Freezing temperatures are expected for about 72 hours from Thursday to Christmas Day. We are not expecting any ice or snow with this cold outbreak at this time. Residents are urged to take proper precations to winterize their homes, including wrapping exposed outdoor pipes. Pipes will freeze and burst in this type of cold.

SUMMER 2022 THE 4TH HOTTEST ON RECORD FOR DFW

Summer 2022 came in as the fourth hottest on record officially for DFW. The average temperature was 88.2°F for the three month period beginning June 1st through August 31st. We had a total of 47 days of 100°F heat. 21 of those days were consecutive from July 16th through August 5th. The first 100-degree day of the summer was 103°F on June 11th. The last 100-degree day was 102°F on August 17th. The average number of 100-degree days per summer season is about 16. The hottest temperature of the summer was 109°F that occurred three consecutive days on July 18th through the 20th. The coolest temperature of the summer was 65°F on June 2nd.

The top five hottest summers on record for DFW with their average temperature are as follows:

  1. 2011 90.5°F with 71 100-degree days
  2. 1980 89.2°F with 69 100-degree days
  3. 1998 88.3°F with 56 100-degree days
  4. 2022 88.2°F with 47 100-degree days
  5. 1954 87.7°F with 52 100-degree days

AUGUST 2022 THE WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD FOR DFW

The extraordinary rain event we have had this week has broken many records for DFW. Officially, we are now the wettest August ever recorded at DFW Airport with 10.38 inches of rain so far this month. This breaks the old monthly record of 10.33 inches set in August of 1915.

The daily rain record for both August 21st and 22nd were shattered. We recorded 3.53 inches of rain on August 21st, which broke the old daily record of 2.25 inches set in 1919. For August 22nd, we officially recorded 5.66 inches of rain, which broke the old record of 2.47 inches set in 1916.

The 24-hour period of rain that we received beginning on August 21st and ending August 22nd was the second rainiest 24-hour period on record with a total of 9.19 inches of rain. The most rain ever received in a 24-hour period was 9.57 inches of rain on September 4th and 5th of 1932.

SUMMER 2022 RECORD HEAT AT DFW

DFW set a record high yesterday, July 20, 2022 and also tied the maximum low temperature record for that date. DFW also set a record high temperature on July 19, 2022 and also tied the maximum low temperature record for that date. DFW also tied the all-time maximum low temperature record for July 18, 2022 while also breaking the daily record for that date.

The temperature yesterday reached a high of 109°F, for the third consecutive day, which broke the old record of 108°F set in 2018. DFW tied the low temperature maximum of 82°F set in 1954.

The temperature on July 19, 2022 reached a high of 109°F which broke the old record of 108°F set in 2018. DFW tied the low temperature maximum of 84°F set in 1980.

The low temperature on July 18, 2022 was only 86°F. This tied the all-time lowest maximum low temperature ever recorded at DFW set several times, but most recently in 2018. This also broke the daily maximum low temperature record of 83°F set in 2018.

DFW temperature records are observed at Dallas/Fort Worth Interantional Airport weather station, station ID, KDFW.

DFW RECORDS ITS FIRST 100°F DEGREE DAY FOR SUMMER 2022

Yesterday the high temperature was 103°F at DFW Airport. This tied the record yesterday set back in 1911. It also marks the first time this summer we officially hit 100°F. This is the hottest DFW has been in nearly two years. You have to go all the way back to August 29, 2020 when the mercury hit 106°F.

In addition, yesterday DFW set a new maximum low temperature of 79°F. The old record was 78°F set in 2018.

The intese heat wave we have been experiencing is going to continue through tomorrow. A record high is likely to be set again today as temperatures across the area are expected to climb to or exceed 105°F. A Heat Advisory remains in effect for the entire area.

DFW WEATHER HOURLY FORECAST BACK ONLINE

The DFW Weather Hourly Forecast is back online with an updated script. To access the hourly forecast, select ‘Forecast’ from the navigation menu, and it will be the second option on that drop down menu – ‘Hourly.’

One thing to note about the Hourly Forecast. This forecast is powered by a data feed. It may or may not necessarily reflect the same data as the official forecast put out by this site. This is due to the fact that the official 7-Day Forecast issued by this site is not a data feed but an actual forecast made by a forecaster.

WELCOME TO THE NEW WEBSITE LAYOUT FOR DFW WEATHER

We are pleased to release the latest website layout for DFW Weather. One of the biggest changes you will notice right away is that the navigation menu has now moved from the left hand side to across the top in the header section. The website no longer has a separate mobile page. The site has been redesigned on a grid with modular sections that will realign itself based on the screen size and orientation of the device you are accessing it on. In addition, the weather alerts script is now fully working and improved. Weather alerts will appear at the top under the navigation bar in a red box on every page except the news/blog page. You can click on the county and a modal will pop-up with the full alert message.

While we have tried to test and work out as many kinks as possible, there still may be somethings that do not quite work as they should. We will continually be making adjustments along the way. It should be noted that older phones and browsers may not be compatible with the new design. Please make sure you access using a mobile device not older than five years old and that you use the latest desktop version of your browser.

RECORD HEAT AT DFW YESTERDAY

A record high temperature was recorded yesterday, May 15, 2022, at DFW Airport of 97°F. This breaks the old record of 94°F set in 1925. It is also the hottest temperature recorded so far this month. Record heat will continue to be possible through the next week.

MASSIVE UPDATE TO DFW WEATHER WEBSITE LAYOUT COMING SOON

The website will be undergoing major modification to its layout design in the coming weeks/months to enhance usability across devices. In order to do this, the website will need to come down at some point for these changes to occur. Down times will be posted well in advanced.

Also, while we are making this transition some data feeds and features may not work. For example, the weather alerts script is being changed, thus it is currently not working. For weather advisories/alerts, please see the advisories feature on the ZoomRadar located at the bottom of the home page.