This summer was incredibly hot. I think we can all agree on that. In fact, it was the hottest summer on record for Corpus Christi. Our average temperature from June 1 through August 31 came out to 87.8°F, with an average high temperature of 98.1°F.
This was mainly due to the persistent, massive high pressure that spent its time roaming the United States.
Even with all the heat, we didn't topple any records either way in terms of dryness or wetness. Most of our rain this summer came from Tropical Storm Harold on August 22 - 5.04" of the total 6.23", to be exact.
We kicked off summer with the second hottest June on record (86.7°F). If it's any consolation, we only missed the top spot by a tenth of a degree. The hottest June on record goes to 2013.
However, June 2023 actually felt about 10 degrees hotter than the June 2013 because we were so humid. We even experienced our highest heat index of all time in Corpus Christi on June 17 - 125°F!
In June, we reached 100°F+ six times - doubling the old record. The previous record was three, set in 2012 and again in 2017.
The average high temperature for June was 96.2°F. Click here for a complete lookback and breakdown of June's heat.
June was followed by the hottest July on record (88.0°F). July was also (at the time) the second hottest month ever on record for Corpus Christi. Now, it's the third hottest month ever in Corpus Christi history. That's thanks to August... we'll get there in a minute.
We reached 100°F+ 11 times in July, nearly quadrupling the previous record of three, set in 1954, 1964, 2009, 2012, and 2019.
The average high temperature for July was 98.5°F. Click here for a complete lookback and breakdown of July's heat.
Enter: August. Last month was the hottest August on record. It also became the hottest month ever for Corpus Christi, with an average temperature of 88.8°F. So congrats, you lived through that.
The average high temperature for August was 99.7°F. It definitely got a boost from all the 100°F+ afternoons we had.
We reached 100°F+ a whopping 22 times. The previous record was 13, set in 2012.
We didn't quite set the record for the longest 100°F+ streak, but we got close - twice. The longest streak still is August 28 through September 8, 2012 (12 days). This August, we had a second-place worthy streak of 10 days (August 12-21) and a third place streak of 8 days (August 3-10).
Additionally, we smashed the previous record (28) set in 2012 for the most 100°F+ days in a year. This summer, we hit 100°F or higher 39 times! A bit of context: In the last 10 years combined, we've hit 100°F+ 27 times.
The hottest high temperature this summer was 103°F. We managed that high five different times: June 21, July 16, and August 15, 16 and 17.
We set 28 high temperature records. Here's a quick breakdown of those: eight in June (four new records), eight in July (five new records), and 12 in August (six new records).
Of all 28 high temperature records, only four of them were for temperatures less than 100°F.
Even though those temperatures are hot enough on their own, the heat index is what really matters in the summer. It's what Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings are based on. We had plenty of both this summer.
From June 1 through August 31, we had 76 Heat Advisories. (Note: The heat advisory issued on July 29 was cancelled, but is still being counted here.)
We also had 38 Excessive Heat Warnings. For context, in the last five years combined, we've had three Excessive Heat Warnings.
In total this summer, 87 out of 92 days were above-normal. That checks out.
Here's a mind-blowing statistic: Over the course of this summer, we spent 405 hours with a heat index at or above 110°F. The next most record is 72 hours in 2019.
So while it has been super hot and humid this summer, relief is on the way. Cooler weather isn't all that far off (fingers crossed).
We're in an El Nino weather pattern. This means we usually see a cooler and wetter weather pattern heading into the Fall and Winter months, as the subtropical jet stream brings us more moisture and cloud cover. I know I'm ready for it.