AUSTIN, Texas — Now that we've arrived in September, meteorological Summer 2022 has officially come to a close.
We all know this summer was hot, but where does it rank in the record books? Summer 2022 will have to settle with the silver medal, as it ranked just behind Summer 2011.
The average temperature this summer was 88.8 degrees compared to 89.5 degrees in 2011. Meteorological summer runs from June 1 through August 31. This is different from astronomical summer which runs from June 21 through September 22.
Summer 2022 was off to a strong start coming off of the hottest May on record at Camp Mabry. The summer season started with a record-breaking June and July as average monthly temperatures were over 4.5 degrees warmer than normal.
This year was even trending ahead of 2011 until August arrived. We typically see our warmest temperatures of the year in August, but several active weather patterns brought much-needed rain to Texas.
These rainy days were accompanied by below-average temperatures which lowered our overall averages. Despite the rainy days, August 2022 still had an average temperature of 1.8 degrees warmer than normal.
One might wonder what all of this means as we head into the Fall season. Current forecasts call for La Niña to continue toward the end of the year. A La Niña Fall typically brings above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation.
Recent data has shown average fall temperatures on the rise both in Central Texas and across the country due to climate change. In fact, Austin has seen average temperatures rise roughly 3.5 degrees since 1970. Throughout the United States, some of the areas experiencing the largest warming trends include portions of Texas, Nevada and Arizona.
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