By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
August is always a hot month in Del Rio, but the first 12 days of August 2023 are now in the record as some of the hottest ever recorded in the Queen City of the Rio Grande.
According to climate data on the National Weather Service’s web site, Del Rio equaled or exceeded maximum daily temperature records on 11 days of the first 12 days on the month.
Del Rio also posted an all-time record high daytime temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit a day before the start of summer, the highest ever recorded on any day since the National Weather Service began keeping records for the city.
Del Rio meteorologist Dan Schreiber spoke to the 830 Times today about the ongoing heat.
“Just looking at data dating back to the 1940s, this has been the hottest first-half of August on record, with an average daily high of 107 degrees Fahrenheit and average daily low of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. I believe part of the contributing factor here is that the dew point has been lower than normal, allowing for daytime highs to skyrocket, as dry air heats faster than humid air,” Schreiber wrote in an email.
The month started with a maximum temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit recorded on Aug. 1, equaling a maximum high temperature of 106 degrees also recorded in 1912 and again 100 years later in 2012 on the same date.
The same maximum temperature, 106 degrees, was recorded on Aug. 2, and that equaled a maximum high temperature for the same date in 2012.
Aug. 3 was the only day this month during which the maximum temperature did not exceed or equal a previous high.
On Aug. 4, the maximum temperature recorded was 107 degrees Fahrenheit, a new high for that date.
The hot temperatures continued for the next week.
On Aug. 5, the maximum temperature recorded was 109 degrees, on Aug. 6, the maximum temperature recorded was 110, and on Aug. 7, the maximum temperature recorded was 109 degrees.
On Aug. 8, the maximum temperature recorded was 109 degrees, on Aug. 9, the maximum temperature recorded was 110, and on Aug. 10, the maximum temperature recorded was 111 degrees, the highest daily temperature recorded so far this month.
On Aug. 11, the maximum temperature recorded was 109 degrees.
On Aug. 12, the maximum temperature recorded was 107 degrees, a high that was first recorded for that date in 2016 and again in 2019.
Schreiber also wrote about the outlook for the rest of the month.
“The persistent high pressure system that has been overhead will remain generally in-place, keeping our temperatures hot through much of this week. There may be a slight uptick in humidity, but rain chances will remain unlikely locally. While it has been warmer than normal, this pattern is typical in Del Rio during the summertime,” Schreiber said.
“Fortunately, we may see the pattern shift a little in the coming weeks which will allow at least a little relief in temperature, albeit probably increase the humidity to the point that it may not feel any more comfortable. However, nothing is too certain at this point, other than it will be important to keep our eyes on the tropics, as the waters in the Gulf of Mexico have warmed substantially this year, which could prove to be very dangerous if any hurricanes form offshore as we near the peak of hurricane season in the next month or so,” he added.
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
