First a freeze, then summer-like 80 degrees. Sure sounds like Dallas-Fort Worth weather

Punxutawney Phil, the plump Pennsylvania rodent, may know a thing or two about predicting the weather after all. Having failed to see his shadow earlier this month, his handlers declared spring will be arriving a tad premature this year.

It may mean a larger leap into summer weather for the Dallas-Fort worth region.

A National Weather Service forecast out of its Fort Worth office predicts North Texas will see its first 80-degree day this year by Wednesday next week.

You read that right: 80 degrees in the dead of winter.

“Unfortunately, it’s especially well above normal for this time of year,” Fort Worth meteorologist Monique Sellers tells the Star-Telegram. “A bigger departure than we’d like to see.”

The average normal temperature for Dallas-Fort Worth in February is 60.9 degrees. The hottest February day around here pushed the mercury up to 96 degrees — and that was in 1904. The warmest Feb. 22 was in 1996, when the record shows 93 degrees.

So, summer-like days in February are not unheard of in these parts. We live in Texas after all.

“Our records are even higher than that for those days,” Sellers said. “So, it’s not, I guess, the warmest ever, but...”

Break out the shorts and tank tops folks, except for a couple of minor cold fronts making cameos, the rest of February will be a veritable heat wave — excuse me, will experience above normal temperatures.

“It looks like we may end the month on a warm note,” the Fort Worth meteorologist said.

The cold front that passed through Friday afternoon is not sticking around for long. It will plunge temperatures into the 30s overnight and into Saturday morning. Expect the coldest temperatures overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning where parts of North Texas will feel the frigid bite of lows in the 20s and low 30s. The Metroplex will be spared the frigid values with lows expected in the 30s.

After the cold interlude, warm air from the Gulf is moving in, and without a strong cold front to counter it, temperatures are expected to rise. This shift in weather is likely due to south winds bringing in warmer air and preventing the cold air from lingering.

Thus, unseasonably above normal temperatures arriving to the region by early next week.

This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 3:17 PM.