Bryan-College Station just experienced one of the HOTTEST Junes of record…again

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Another June. Another top 10 record for heat in Bryan-College Station. For a second year in a row, the exceptional heat of this past month lands on the list as one of the most extreme in the Brazos Valley’s recorded history.

The month ended with an average temperature — morning lows and afternoon highs considered — of 85.9°. That is warm enough to take spot number seven on the list of hottest Junes in the area’s 141 years of record keeping. The month ended 3.3° warmer than the expected 30-year average of 82.6° and just 0.1° shy of the sixth warmest June of record.

Only three days over the last 30 were considered “below-average” for Bryan-College Station

While afternoon highs were exceptionally warm, particularly for this early in summer, it was the longevity of the upper 90° and triple-digit heat that was notable. Through the last two weeks of the month, the Climate Shift Index for the Brazos Valley noted that climate change made this heat between two and three times more likely than just 50 years ago. More so, it was the very warm nights that contributed to the heat record. June 2023 will tie for experiencing the second most 80°+ low temperatures on record with 1915 (108 years ago).

Warm nighttime low temperatures contributed significantly to the record warmth of June 2023.
Trend of 80°+ low temperature in June since records began at Easterwood Airport

For perspective, this past June was warmer than the temperatures typically expected for a Brazos Valley July. Both the average high and low for the month were warmer than what is more likely in the middle of summer. Here are some stats on the heat over the last 30 days:

Average temperature: 85.9°Degrees above the 30-year average: 3.3°Degrees above the 30-year average for July: 0.8°Average high temperature: 95.8°Degrees above the 30-year June high average: 3.6°Degrees above the 30-year July high average: 0.4°Average low temperature: 76.1°Degrees above the 30-year June low average: 3.1°Degrees above the 30-year July low average: 1.2°Number of 80°+ low temperatures: 10Number of record high minimum (warmest low temperature) set or tied: 3Number of triple-digit days: 5Number of above-average afternoon highs: 25Number of above-average morning lows: 20

The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 50% to 60% chance that July will also end warmer-than-average in the Brazos Valley. While it is too early to know if a new heat record will be set over the next 31 days, a reminder that 2022 also set a record for the all-time hottest July in Bryan-College Station’s 141-years of record keeping. Four of the top ten warmest Julys of record have occurred since 2009.