Bryan-College Station dropped below 80° Friday morning. Here’s why that’s significant
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – For thirty minutes Friday morning, the thermometer at Easterwood Airport read 79°. That window between 6:45 am and 7:15 am is the first time the official reporting station for Bryan-College Station registered below 80° since the morning of July 8th.
121 years ago, 1902 Bryan-College Station experienced a similar stretch of morning temperatures between June 8th and 20th. That 13 days stretch holds the record as the longest consecutive 80° low temperatures in the 141 years of record keeping locally. This recent stretch ended at 12 days, stumbling at the finish line and ending at the number two spot in the climate site’s history. The third-longest stretch of 80° lows? That record also now belongs to 2023, set at 6 days between June 15th and 20th.
MORNING WARMTH IS HELPING TO SET THE PACE FOR ONE OF THE HOTTEST JULYS ON RECORD
On average, Bryan-College Station typically experiences anywhere from zero to three mornings at or above 80° over the course of the year. 2023, as of July 21st, has already experienced 23 nights with this significant morning warmth. More are in the forecast to close out July through the start of August. The current record for most 80° low temperatures: 29 set in 1902.
Summer 2023 is in the running for the most 80° low temperatures in a year
By comparison with other summers of extreme heat, 2022 only experienced 8 mornings at/above 80°, 2011 clocked 14, followed by 2009 with 10. 2011 and 2022 are tied as the hottest summers — June, July, August — of record for the Brazos Valley.
Summer nights are warming in the Brazos Valley due to man-made climate change
Since 1970, the average summer low temperature has increased by nearly four degrees. 50 years ago, the average summer temperature was expected to end the season in the low 70s. That average is now near or above 75°. July 2023 is currently setting the pace to have experienced the warmest low temperatures to date, elevating the entire summer’s status to the same.
