According to climate division data from the National Climatic Data Center, the average summertime (June through August) temperature is higher in Texas than in any other of the lower 48 states. Memorable Texas summertime heat waves include 1934 during the Dust Bowl, the 1980 central United States heat wave with 107 heat-related deaths reported in Texas , and the more localized Texas-Oklahoma heat wave in 1998.
And then came 2011. The three-month average for June through August was 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) - warmer than any previous single month. This was 2.9 °C (5.2 °F) above the long-term average, nearly a factor of two larger than the previous record June-August departure.
The heat was accompanied by extreme drought: statewide precipitation for October 2010 through September 2011 was 287 mm (11.3 in), a new record for driest consecutive twelve months. Along with the drought and heat came record statewide agricultural losses of $7.62 billion. Wildfires burned 3,993,716 acres, almost double the previous highest value in twenty years of statewide records, according to the Texas Forest Service. Commercial timber losses from the drought totaled $755 million, of which only 13% was due to wildfire.
The figure to the right shows the onset of the drought from October 2010 to
September 2011. By April 2011, areas of Texas were starting to experience exceptional drought. By September, almost all of Texas was classified as experiencing exceptional drought. (Click image for a larger view).
Temperature and Precipitation Time Series
Plots of temperature and precipitation for individual stations for the period March 2010 to March 2011 are shown below. Click on the map locations to show the time series for that station.
