Record Highs V.S. Lows

How Do Record High and Low Temperatures Compare In Texas?


As climate change continues, new record highs and lows are constantly being broken. The state of Texas is notorious for its unpredictable weather, so I set out to find weather there was a discernable pattern throughout the year by comparing record highs and lows by month in Texas. To find this information, I needed to ask my first question:

Is there a significant difference between record highs and lows by month in Texas?

Click on points on the maps to learn the record date, location, and record temperature.

  • Blue Points: low record temperatures
  • Red Points: high record temperatures

The points are organized by extremity of the record they correspond too.

(A large blue point means it has a low record temperature that is more extreme such as -7 F, while a large red point means it has a higher record temperature towards its extreme such as 117 F)



January

As one of Texas' coldest months, the temperature records during January drop between -7 F to 41 F. The temperature of the high records for these months are much colder than they would be at other times of the year as seen by the small size of the red points.

May

Approaching the end of Spring, the record hot temperatures get considerably larger and start hitting temperatures over 100 F. The low temperature records begin to reach temperatures above freezing as seen by the decreasing size of the blue points.

July

As the hottest month of the year, Texas displays extremely high record temperatures. Especially in Central Texas, record temperatures of above 110 F grow increasingly common. As the red points grow, the blue points shrink and low record temperatures stay around 50 F.

November

Nearing the peak of winter in Texas, the red points shrink and the high record temperatures rarely surpass 100 F. Meanwhile, the low record temperatures are consistently below freezing, but rarely reach negative degrees Fahrenheit.

The maps above depict a clear difference in record temperatures by month in Texas. To support this data, I ran a T-Test. With a p-value of .042, I found a statistically significant difference between the record high and low temperatures in January and July. This answers my question by showing that there is indeed a discernable pattern in record temperatures throughout certain times of year in Texas.


All Time Highs

To further explore this topic, I focused on the extreme heat Texas is known for, by comparing All Time High Records throughout Texas.

All Time High Record Heat Map

All Time High Locations:

The guided map tour below shows notable Texas cities and their all time high record. Click on your city of choice to learn more about the city and its record.

Houston, TX

Houston, TX. Click to expand.

On September 04, 2000, a massive heat wave hit Houston, TX, making it reach record highs of 109 degrees. This record has stood for over two decades. and is predicted to be broken soon due to climate change.

College Station, TX

College Station, TX. Click to expand.

Characterized by its large student population and an iconic university (Texas A&M), College Station reached the scorching high of 112 F, on September 04, 2000. Hit by the 2000 Southern heat wave, this metropolitan area experienced their record high the same day as their neighbor; Houston TX.

El Paso, TX

El Paso, TX. Click to expand.

This border city reached a record high of 114 F on June 29, 1994. Often referred to as the "Sun City", El Paso averages 302 days of sun yearly.

Waco, TX

Waco, TX. Click to expand.

With the scorching heat of 114 F, Waco TX reached its all-time high on July 23, 2018. On the 12th day of a 100 degree heat wave, the sunburnt "Fixer Upper" loving community, experienced this new record high since 2011.

San Antonio, TX

San Antonio, TX. Click to expand.

On September 5, 2000, "Alamo City" experienced its warmest day in years with a high of 111 F. With the aid of the same heat wave that caused both Houston's and College Station's record highs, San Antonio TX, experienced a record high that is undefeated to this day.

Austin, TX

Austin, TX. Click to expand.

With a temperature of 112 F, Austin TX reached its all-time record high on September 5, 2000. Austin was one of many cities that was reached record temperatures due to the 2000 Southern Record Heat Wave. Home to the infamous University of Texas, and known for its art, Austin is expected to hit a new record high soon.

Dallas, TX

Dallas, TX. Click to expand.

On June 26, 2011, Dallas hit the record high of 110 F. However, the hottest month is usually July. Home to the nation's largest art district, Dallas is a cultural hearth and home of many sports teams such as the the Dallas Cowboys.

Wichita Falls, TX

Wichita Falls, TX. Click to expand.

With a record high of 117 F on June 28, 1980, Wichita Falls has the highest record temperature of all other chosen cities. As a small city characterized by its beautiful waterfalls, Wichita Falls is also home to Midwestern State University where the famous doctor "Dr.Phil" studied.

Houston, TX

On September 04, 2000, a massive heat wave hit Houston, TX, making it reach record highs of 109 degrees. This record has stood for over two decades. and is predicted to be broken soon due to climate change.

College Station, TX

Characterized by its large student population and an iconic university (Texas A&M), College Station reached the scorching high of 112 F, on September 04, 2000. Hit by the 2000 Southern heat wave, this metropolitan area experienced their record high the same day as their neighbor; Houston TX.

El Paso, TX

This border city reached a record high of 114 F on June 29, 1994. Often referred to as the "Sun City", El Paso averages 302 days of sun yearly.

Waco, TX

With the scorching heat of 114 F, Waco TX reached its all-time high on July 23, 2018. On the 12th day of a 100 degree heat wave, the sunburnt "Fixer Upper" loving community, experienced this new record high since 2011.

San Antonio, TX

On September 5, 2000, "Alamo City" experienced its warmest day in years with a high of 111 F. With the aid of the same heat wave that caused both Houston's and College Station's record highs, San Antonio TX, experienced a record high that is undefeated to this day.

Austin, TX

With a temperature of 112 F, Austin TX reached its all-time record high on September 5, 2000. Austin was one of many cities that was reached record temperatures due to the 2000 Southern Record Heat Wave. Home to the infamous University of Texas, and known for its art, Austin is expected to hit a new record high soon.

Dallas, TX

On June 26, 2011, Dallas hit the record high of 110 F. However, the hottest month is usually July. Home to the nation's largest art district, Dallas is a cultural hearth and home of many sports teams such as the the Dallas Cowboys.

Wichita Falls, TX

With a record high of 117 F on June 28, 1980, Wichita Falls has the highest record temperature of all other chosen cities. As a small city characterized by its beautiful waterfalls, Wichita Falls is also home to Midwestern State University where the famous doctor "Dr.Phil" studied.


Statistical Map

Statistical Difference Map

The consistent over 100 F degree weather for most of the high records, is much more extreme than the average 32 F degree weather of cities around Texas. With a p-value of 0.001, there is an extreme statistical difference between the all-time high and low record temperatures in Texas.

(The larger the point, the greater the statistical difference between the all-time record high and low values)

So...is there a pattern in record temperatures of Texas?

When comparing high and low records by the months of January and July, the p-value is 0.042 which displays a significantly statistical difference between the data. This shows that there is indeed a pattern in record temperatures between these months, and possibly the whole year in Texas.

References

America's most extreme weather Cities 2020: The Weather channel - articles from the Weather Channel. (n.d.). https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2020-12-30-most-extreme-us-weather-cities-2020. 

Dallas - highest temperature for each year. (n.d.). https://www.currentresults.com/Yearly-Weather/USA/TX/Dallas/extreme-annual-dallas-high-temperature.php. 

McGregor, J. (n.d.). El Paso, TX, Record Highs. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/el-paso-tx#:~:text=El%20Paso%20is%20a%20colorful,in%202000%20it%20was%20563%2C662. 

Spivey, S. (2020, July 13). Monday was San Antonio's hottest day in seven years. https://www.ksat.com/weather/2020/07/13/monday-was-san-antonios-hottest-day-in-seven-years/. 

US Department of Commerce, N. O. A. A. (2017, August 3). Temperature records and normals. https://www.weather.gov/rnk/records.