It Is Hot In Texas

When I was a wee lad, I had a football coach who said that God made it hotter in August to get the players ready for the long football season. It sort of made sense. From May to July, thunderstorms would come and go and keep the heat in check. It was just warm enough to have fun - pool, sports, and exploring. But not so hot you preferred inside activities. And then came August.

Being centrally located in the United States, the jet stream, which steers most of the major disturbances, often does some strange things in August. Chief among these is lifting up over Texas and then dropping, freezing (pardon the pun), high-pressure systems over Texas, and sometimes the entire Southwest. This leads to triple digits and brutal stretches until the jet stream repositions, or a major hurricane hits Texas, breaking up the party.

That is exactly what is happening at present. Normally, I am fending off ridiculous claims of climate change during heat waves. Yes, in Summer, it gets warmer. And in the Fall and Winter, the temperatures drop; sunrise, sunset - nothing new under the sun. But surprisingly, those people have moved on to hating Jews and starting a communist revolution in the United States. 

So Texans make jokes about the heat, and endure. And if you're old enough, share your memories of the hottest Summer ever - 1980. That year we had 42 consecutive days with triple-digit heat (June 23 to August 3). 

I remember it quite well. I worked at a car wash as a steamer at 15 years old. It was over 100, I was covered in heavy clothes to protect my skin from the steam wand pushing soapy water out at over 200°F. It got so hot I developed a nasty case of Prickly Heat. If you've never had it, be thankful. It's kind of a heat rash, and it is not pleasant. It was miracle I survived without having a heat stroke.

Working At The Car Wash!

We are not anywhere close to the record set in 1980, but it is toasty in Dallas. Dallas, Texas (DFW Airport) recorded its highest temperature of 2026 on Monday, August 24 - 109°F. (All that concrete and jet exhaust at the airport increases their reading compared to rural stations in the area and even historical data. One day they will adjust for that.) 

It is just your typical late Summer high-pressure system that does not know its days are numbered. But yes, it is hot!

Monday, I was driving along Loop 12 in South Dallas - making my rounds. I came to the bridge over the Trinity River - just a lazy creek this time of year. I still like stealing a peek and imagining myself floating away.

Most bridges in Texas have signs warning people that: "Bridge May Freeze In Cold Weather." It's good information when it's freezing outside. When it's over 100, it just seems silly. I let myself imagine that it was freezing outside. But instead of a pleasing, very cool moment. I saw this:

Hang in there. August ends next week!