Here’s all the unprecedented heat the Brazos Valley is currently living through…
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Another unprecedented summer. Last year, 2022′s June – July – August tied 2011 as the summer of record for drought and heat. This year, a top ten hottest June rolled into the second hottest July of record — falling short of the top spot held by 2022. Now, August is sprinting to try and rival both 2011 and 2022.
Unrelenting. Continuous. Brutal heat. Fingerprints of human-induced impacts: anthropogenic warming, urbanization heating, and a developing El Niño.
OFFICIAL: You have now experienced the longest streak of consecutive 100° days in Bryan-College Station’s 141 years of record keeping.
Guess what: there’s a whole lot more coming… pic.twitter.com/7jduyCnR2F
— KBTX Weather (@KBTXWeather) August 8, 2023
Here are the current unprecedented, never before experienced in (at least) 141 years of record keeping, heat events that Bryan-College Station is currently living through:
THE LONGEST STREAK OF CONSECUTIVE 100° DAYS
As of Tuesday, August 8th, Easterwood Airport has reported a high temperature at or above 100° 31 times in a row. This is now the longest-running streak of triple-digit heat on record, which began in 1882. This streak surpasses the previous record of 30 days from July 6th to August 4th, 1998.
Now falling outside of the top 5 longest streaks for 100° days: 2022 with a total of 21 days between July 16th and August 5th. It is worth noting that 2023 has currently collected a total of 37 100° high temperatures, the 15th most on record in a year.
THE LONGEST STREAK OF CONSECUTIVE 105° DAYS
As of Tuesday, August 8th, Easterwood Airport has reported a high temperature at or above 105° 9 times in a row. This continues the new longest-running streak with this type of heat on record, which began in 1882. The streak surpasses the previous record of 7 days from August 30th to September 5th, 2000.
Daytime highs (so far) in August compared to the forecast through mid-next week
It is worth noting that the current forecast does not call for the high temperature to fall below 105° until mid-August. By then, the high is expected to “only” miss the mark by a degree or two.
THE MOST 80° LOW TEMPERATURES IN A CALENDAR YEAR
As of Tuesday, August 8th, Easterwood Airport has reported a low temperature at or above 80° 31 times in 2023. This continues the new longest-running record for the most 80° lows in a year. Records began in 1882. This surpasses the previous record of 29 days set 121 years ago in 1902.
For comparison, Bryan-College Station only experienced eight 80° mornings in 2022. Twenty-three of these 31 days have either tied or broken the daily Record High Minimum, aka the warmest low on record.
Per the National Weather Service: Rainfall and temperature data observations began on the campus of Texas A & M College in May 1882. Records were sporadic from 1882 to 1907 and no records are available for 1908 and 1909. Reliable records are available from 1910 to present. Observations began on the campus of Texas A & M College in May 1882. The station was relocated to the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station main farm located seven miles southwest of the College Station Post Office in January 1954. This station closed April 30, 1958. Other rainfall and temperature observations were taken in Bryan at 2310 23rd Street from September 1, 1913 through March 31, 1947. A weather station was established at the College Station FAA Airport (originally referred to as Bryan CAA Airport) in August 1951. The FAA Airport Station is now known as Easterwood Field.
Looking ahead: each of these continuous heat streaks is forecast to continue at least another 10 days, if not through the majority of August. The 8 to 14-day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center calls for a 70% to 80% chance of above-average temperatures through the 22nd of the month.
