Texas Summer Shows Unusual Mildness Amid Heat Wave

AUSTIN, Texas — This summer, Texans are experiencing a surprising break from extreme heat. Despite an early heat wave in May that saw Austin hit 101 degrees on May 13 and 14, overall temperatures for the summer have been milder than expected.

Throughout June, although 26 out of 30 days had above-normal high temperatures, none reached or exceeded the 100-degree mark. This is the first occurrence of such a trend since 2019. A wet weather pattern beginning in early July contributed to cooler temperatures in Central Texas, bringing significant rainfall and temperatures below the 30-year climate average.

However, this weather system also caused flash flooding in some areas. By the end of July, Austin recorded 102 degrees on July 31, but the month overall had only seven days above the seasonal average. Rainfall totaled more than 6 inches, 4 inches above normal.

As August progresses, temperatures have aligned more closely with seasonal averages at around 99 degrees, with just five days reaching the 100-degree threshold. This year marks Austin’s coolest meteorological summer since 2012, although it remains the 23rd warmest since records began in 1898.

Perceptions of summer have skewed as many of Austin’s hottest summers occurred in the last 25 years, with nine of the 10 warmest summers registered since 2000. So far this year, Austin has hit the century mark 12 times, a significant reduction compared to 2024, which had double that by mid-August.

This summer’s average temperature has been 85.4 degrees, far below the record high average of 89.5 degrees set in 2011, and above the coolest recorded summer of 1907 at 78.5 degrees. Notably, 1907 is remembered as the only summer in which Austin recorded no 100-degree days.

The weather patterns this summer have resulted from a neutral phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Unlike the extreme heat associated with previous La Niña summers, this year’s neutral conditions encouraged typical seasonal patterns.

Forecasts for Central Texas indicate continued mild temperatures, aided by a tropical disturbance moving through the Gulf of Mexico, predicted to bring moisture and increase chances of rain this weekend. A storm system could follow mid-next week, further cooling temperatures.