San Antonio narrowly misses breaking a new heat record
San Antonio missed setting a new heat record by two degrees but this month is on track to rank among the hottest, according to the National Weather Service.
As of Monday, the city experienced 12 consecutive days of being at or above 100 degrees. That streak was broken Tuesday when temperatures topped out at 98 degrees.
The current hot streak tied for third place with several other consecutive 100 degree days, the NWS said. The 21-day record was set in 1962 from July 24 to Aug. 13.
NWS meteorologist Brett Williams said the end of the streak is likely a fortunate break for more vulnerable groups including homeless people, senior citizens, children and people without air conditioning.
High temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 90 degrees through Sunday. The weekend also brings a slight chance of isolated rain.
“There’s not a whole lot of difference between 99 and 100, but its a nice trivia to look at,” Williams said.
Heat indices are forecast to reach between 102 to 106 degrees depending on humidity levels through Sunday, according to the NWS.
Williams also noted that San Antonio is experiencing its fourthwarmest August on record. The hottest August was in 2011, which saw an average temperature of 90 degrees, he said.
“It’s definitely going to be a Top 10 on record,” Williams said. “It’s going to be hot for a few more days as we get into the end of August. We may be trending back down towards normal temperatures in the next week or so.”
The hot temperatures also mean that many parts of South Central Texas are in drought conditions. Bexar County is currently in abnormally dry condition, while areas west and southwest of the county are in moderate and severe drought respectively.
Williams said the climate prediction center, which is part of the National Weather service, released an outlook that indicates the potential for slightly cooler than normal temperatures and above normal precipitation.
“Hopefully as we get to the end of August and into September those temperatures start to come down, and maybe we’ll pick up a little more rainfall,” he said.