110 degrees is possible this week, but that’s not the hottest day on record for Fort Worth
Sunday’s 106 degrees tied Fort Worth’s hottest day of the year July 8. With even hotter days to come, that distinction may easily be overshadowed later this week.
The National Weather Service seven-day forecast shows no sign of the heat dissipating, calling for temperatures over 100 degrees every day of this week. The highs for Monday and Tuesday are 110 degrees, followed by 109 degrees on Wednesday.
Most of July has registered temperatures in triple digits, spare a few days where temperatures ranged in the mid to high 90 degrees, and relief may be weeks away.
Thursday cools down to 103 degrees, followed by highs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of 104 degrees. Thursday will be the best chance of rain this week, with a 20% chance of thunderstorms after 1 p.m., according to the weather service.
As Fort Worth braces for what is expected to be the hottest week of the year so far, here’s a look back on the record temperatures in DFW history, according to NWS data:
1. 113 degrees - June 26-27, 1980
The summer of 1980 is known by many Texans who lived through it as the hottest on record.
They’re not far off, as the summer ranks second all-time for the number of 100 degree days in the year at 69. The entire month of July saw temperatures over triple digits, a record that still stands 42 years later.
But the hottest days of 1980 were on June 26 and 27, when the temperature hit 113 degrees on consecutive days. However, it did cool off the next day on June 28, only hitting 112 degrees.
2. 112 degrees - Aug. 18, 1909; Aug. 11, 1936; and June 28, 1980
The summer of 1909 got off to a later start than usual for the DFW area, finally hitting its first triple-digit day on July 8.
In total, the year would see 17 days of 100-plus degrees, reaching 112 degrees on Aug. 18. However, Texans got a break after the exceptionally warm day, only recording two more 100 degree days for the remainder of the year.
Summer 1936 was warmer than that of 1909, recording 19 days of 100-plus degrees. August 1936 was by far the hottest month of the year, with 10 days over triple digits, including the noteworthy 112 degrees on Aug. 11.
Also hitting 112 degrees, June 28, 1980, was only the second hottest day of the year then after Texans saw 113 degrees earlier that summer.
3. 111 degrees - Sept. 4, 2000
For those hoping the new millennium would cool off Texas summers, that was unfortunately not the case.
In total, 2000 saw 46 days over triple digits that lasted all the way to September. August was by far the hottest month of the year, recording 27 days over 100 degrees.
However, it was Sept. 4 that saw the warmest day of the year at 111 degrees.
4. 110 degrees - Aug. 10, 1936; Aug. 16, 1943; July 2 and 18, 1980; July 12, 1998, and Aug. 2, 2011
For 1943, 1998 and 2011, 110 degrees was the hottest temperature on record.
1943 saw 34 days of triple digit temperatures, its warmest coming on Aug. 16 at 110 degrees. 1998 scored 56 days over 100 degrees, recording the hottest on July 12. But 2011 takes the cake for number of days over triple digits, holding the record with 71, hitting 110 degrees on Aug. 2.
The years 1936 and 1980 also recorded 110 degree days on Aug. 10 and July 2 and 18, respectively.
5. 109 degrees - July 29, 1912; July 25, 1954; July 1, 3 and 17, 1980; Aug. 6, 2003, and Aug. 3, 2011
July 29, 1912, and July 25, 1954, recorded the highest temperatures of those years at 109 degrees.
1912 only saw a sample size of 100 degree days, adding up to only 10 days of triple digits. 1954, however, counted 52 days over triple digits that finally came to an end in September.
Both 1980 and 2011 record 109 degree temperatures in their respective years, but each saw triple digits higher during their summers.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 1:53 PM.
