July had plenty of heat and humidity. That moisture in the air helped to fuel some severe storms. Some areas picked up beneficial rains with the storms, but that wasn’t the case everywhere.
There were several instances in July where strong ridges of high pressure were built in and that led to widespread heat waves, which persisted for many days.
A particularly warm week set some new record highs in Texas. McAllen notably had three days in a row of new record highs set July 20 to 22 with 107 degrees Fahrenheit, 106 degrees and 108 degrees, respectively. Just a day later, several locations in Texas set record highs when temperatures climbed to 106 degrees in Borger, 105 degrees in Dalhart and 104 degrees in Amarillo. Amarillo notched another record high the next day on July 24, too, when the temperature hit 104 degrees again.
In Nebraska, Scottsbluff saw its temperature hit 108 degrees on July 25, which set a new record daily high there.
As we look into August, temperatures are forecast to average above seasonal norms for the entire southern and central Plains.
Below-normal precipitation is forecast for much of Texas and Oklahoma along with south central and southeast Kansas.
Through October, above average temperatures will continue for Texas, southern and western Oklahoma along with southwest Kansas.
Central and eastern Texas are expected to see below normal precipitation for the next three months. During that time, precipitation should add up above normal for western Kansas and western and central Nebraska.
The dry forecast in the coming months will likely lead to additional drought development for northern Texas, central and eastern Oklahoma and southern Kansas.
In the global view, El Niño has strengthened and is expected to continue that trend through the end of 2026. El Niño is forecast to continue through the early part of spring too.
I’m always keeping an eye to the sky (and the weather patterns), so watch for September’s update.
https://hpj.com/category/opinion/weather-watch
Editor’s note: Regina Bird grew up on a farm near Belleville, Kansas. The views from the farm helped spur her interest in weather. Following high school, she went on to get a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of Kansas. She worked as a television meteorologist for nine years in Nebraska. Follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter): @ReginaBirdWX
