Although Texas has experienced higher-than-normal temperatures so far this summer, the last three months of the year could bring below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation to the state, according to the National Weather Service.
For now, across Texas and in other southern U.S. states, summer heat persists with no signs of reprieve anytime soon. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has predicted that triple-digit ambient temperatures and heat indices will continue through this week into the next with virtually no chance of rain, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
And the worst heat of the may still be just ahead. Historically, the hottest week for the DFW region has been August 1 to 7, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
However, the weather could turn cooler and wetter than usual this fall, thanks to the existence of an El Niño weather pattern in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
During an El Niño climate pattern, trade winds weaken, and warm water in the Pacific is pushed to the east, toward the West Coast of the Americas. The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to shift south and spread further east, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains.
This type of weather pattern leads to cooler and wetter weather conditions in the southern U.S. and drier and warmer conditions in the North.
Victor Murphy, a meteorologist with the NWS in Fort Worth, said this weather pattern will likely lead to more precipitation and cooler temperatures than usual during October, November, and December, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
In recent years, the U.S. has generally seen an increase in heavy rain events, which Murphy attributes to climate change and the ability of the warm atmosphere to hold more water vapor. Under the right circumstances, such as a stalled cold front or an upper-level low-pressure system, more extreme rain events are possible for the remainder of 2023.
However, it is impossible to accurately predict exactly when and where these heavy precipitation events might occur, according to Murphy.
Matt Bishop with the NWS in Fort Worth added, “Any kind of system could come through at any time when you get into the fall and into the winter months.”
