HOUSTON – Now having reached our all-time record high of 109° TWICE in the past week, along with our string of triple-digit days, it’s pretty clear that the summer of 2023 will go down as the hottest any of us can remember. Some of you recall the blistering summers of 1980, 1998, and, of course, 2011 but this one has been both hotter and hotter longer! I had a viewer point out that it’s not just the Highs this year, but the Lows have been a serious part of the equation.
Patrick M. writes:
“As of August 25, in 2023, we have had a total of 42 days where the low temperature is 80F or higher. In 2011, the total days with a low 80F or higher was just 24! We are still adding to that total of 42 in 2023! So as you can see, 2023 blows 2011 out of the water for lows above 80F. Or as I think of it, 2023 blows 2011 out of the water for days when you could never go outside, no matter what time of day, and experience a temperature below 80F. See my attached spreadsheet. I didn’t confirm, but suspect 2023 is by far the record for days with a low temperature above 80F.”
Here is Patrick’s spreadsheet to compare warmer overnights this summer to previous years and you can see we are easily double in that department:
I agree.
The overnights have been warm and the mornings are full of sticky humidity. Some evenings have felt better once the sun goes down, but this has been a hot box summer. Unfortunately, we’ve added another weekend of triple-digits to the high temperatures above although I will say that the front last night brought rain to some folks and the humidity today through Wednesday is a bit lower.
Still, despite a few more rain chances and a break in the humidity, these triple-digits are in my forecast at least another ten days.
Tropical Storm IDALIA
Heads up to Florida: the “I” storm is the most retired name in Atlantic hurricane history. Just in this six-year cycle of hurricane names alone, IDALIA replaced IRMA (2017) which replaced IRENE (2011). In all, fourteen I-named hurricanes have been retired, which is more than any other letter. F-storms are in second place with ten retired names. You can see all the lists from the National Hurricane Center here. And why do those storm names get retired? Because of the death and destruction they have caused. No one should take IDALIA lightly--while the NHC now has this one ramping up to a 115mph Category 3 storm, the possibilities over the warm gulf water are for an even stronger storm. Tampa Bay will be particularly vulnerable to storm surge and rising water--when water gets into a bay with concave coasts and inlets it has no where to go but up!
Stay cool and hydrated!
- Frank
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