Why there's a 'possibility' that this may be one of the hottest summers on record

In 2011, the summer by which all recent ones are measured, the first 100-degree day occurred on June 13.

It was the start of a miserably hot summer.

By the end of that year, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had recorded a record 71 100-degree days.

Forecasters are saying the first 100-degree day could come as early as this week, a month ahead of schedule. The average first triple-digit day usually shows up on July 1.

"It does not necessarily mean we'll have our hottest summer, but the possibility is there that it might be one of our warmer summers," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Bishop.

Before 2011, the summer of 1980 was considered the worst on record. It had a record 42 consecutive 100-degree days from June 23 to Aug. 3.

Nobody is saying we'll have a run like that again, but some of the signs aren't good. Rainfall in May and June plays a key role for summertime heat, and May, normally the wettest month of the year, is shaping up to be below normal.

The Climate Prediction Center is also forecasting above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the first week of June.

"We have a summer-like pattern setting up where this high pressure ridge gets parked over us," Bishop said. "We have this tropical system, and we're on the hot and dry side."

There's one piece of good news. Most area lakes are still close to full, thanks to winter rains.

But drought is creeping back into North Texas, and exceptional drought, the most severe category, is prevalent in the Panhandle.

This story was originally published May 28, 2018 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Why there's a 'possibility' that this may be one of the hottest summers on record."