AUSTIN, Texas — While we've had some of the hottest weather of the summer so far this year, it would be a surprise to many newcomers that we haven't hit the 105-degree mark much this summer.
We only had our second afternoon of highs reaching 105 degrees or higher on Wednesday, with a forecast high of 107. At this point in 2023, we were at 36 days at or above 105, already an all-time mark at Camp Mabry.
However, that 36th day was the 36th of what would be 42 days overall. So if you're looking for a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to excessively hot temperatures, at least we've had fewer days that hot this year.
In addition to that, we actually had a cooler July than what we had in June, which is a rare occasion in Central Texas.
June's average temperature, including both highs and lows, checked in at 86.2 degrees at Camp Mabry. Meanwhile, July's average temperature checked in at 85.9 degrees.
This is the first time since 2002 that July was cooler than June (82.4 in July, 82.6 in June), although 2012's average temperatures for June and July were the same at 85.2.
A huge reason for this is we had a wetter-than-average July, with 3.03 inches of rain at Camp Mabry, compared to June, where we got only 1.79 inches of rain.
The wet weather usually results in cooler temperatures, especially in the afternoon hours. As a result, we typically finished the day below average and much cooler than forecast on occasion.
Stick with KVUE as we continue to track climate statistics, comparing this summer to last summer. This year has been cooler at times, but the excessive heat is here.
