Austin sets daily record with high of 99 degrees,
Austin set a new daily heat record on Monday, with peak temperatures at Camp Mabry hitting 99 degrees, surpassing the old record of 98 set in 1991, the National Weather Service said.
In Del Rio, the high of 98 broke the record of 97 set in 1979, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reported a high of 97 to tie the record set in 1991, the weather service said. The Lower Colorado River Authority’s temperature stations in Lakeway and Lago Vista both reported highs of 100 degrees on Monday.
But forecasters say a dry cold front that was to pass through the Austin metro area on Monday night will turn down the heat, but it could also mean potential fire danger.
The dry air and low humidity, along with gusty winds from the north of 10 to 15 mph, could translate into an elevated risk for wildfires on Tuesday, the weather service said. Burn bans are already in place for the Austin metro counties of Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell, as well as for the collar counties of Burnet, Blanco, Fayette and Lee.
The arrival of the cooler, less humid air will also make the nights much chillier, National Weather Service hydrologist Cory Van Pelt said. The week could see below-normal temperatures at night, starting with a low of 59 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, daily highs are likely to stay in the low 90s to upper 80s this week under sunny skies. Van Pelt says temperatures are being buoyed by a lingering high pressure system that is denying Central Texas any cloud cover or precipitation.