HOUSTON – We’re halfway through August and all we’ve been talking about is the heat.

I’m sure you’re all sick of it, but, do y’all remember how HOT it was last year?

In total, Houston saw 45 100° days in 2023. That would equate to a month and a half of seeing triple-digit days last year, or in math terms, that’s 12% of the year.

At least it was 30 days less than our neighbors up north in College Station, where they saw 75 100° days.

We set many records last August, with two days reaching 109° only three days apart from each other. That is the all time record high temperature for Houston.

Not only that, but we also had 23 consecutive 100° days in 2023. This would have been extended had we not hit 97° on August 22, 2023. The only reason why we did not see 100° that day, was from a small shower that left a whopping total of a trace of rainfall.

There were only three days last year in August that stayed below 100°.

For comparison, by this time last year, we had 25 100° days. This year, we’re only at two 100° days.

Most of July was near or below average, but the first week of the month was definitely a warm one! We hit our first 100° day on July 1, 2024, with our second 100° day just over a week ago on Aug. 7, 2024.

This is due to in part of how much rainfall we’ve had this year. During the month of July, when Hurricane Beryl moved through, Houston saw over 10 inches of rain.

The newest drought monitor was released this morning, showing that we are - no surprise here - drought free in Southeast Texas. Last year, we were stricken by severe to extreme drought conditions. A few areas were the lucky ones in the rainfall lottery last year that helped to keep the drought more at bay.

The Next 10 Days:

Unfortunately, we may get to add to our 100° day counter starting this weekend.

Once the rain chances go away, high pressure expands from the west and temperatures kick up a few notches into the triple-digits. We won’t see the relief until late next week - and even those are low chances.

With the added humidity, it will feel well above 100°. Make sure to stay hydrated and wear loose fitting, light colored clothing during this hot week - especially as kiddos are back in school!

Some Fall Climatology:

It’s not all bad news as we get through the last half of August. September does still tend to be hot, but here’s some Houston climatology as fall is just around the corner!

The latest 100° day that Houston saw was on Sept. 27, 2005. That was almost 20 years ago. Typically, we don’t see those triple-digits temperatures after early-to-mid-September.

This only happened as Hurricane Rita made landfall back in 2005 near Sabine Pass. This put Houston on the “clean” side of the hurricane - where dry and sinking air is taking place, allowing our surface temperatures to warm.