<\/p>\n
Grayson Lazo, 9, of Carrollton plays football with his father Carlos Lazo on a splash pad at W.J. Thomas Park on Monday,\u00a0Aug. 24, 2026, in Carrollton. Dallas-Fort Worth has seen a summer of extended heat advisories and extreme heat warnings, with nearly 30 days at or over 100 degrees so far this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
For 14 days straight, the temperature has not dipped below 80 degrees at\u00a0DFW International Airport, even at night.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That lack of relief from the heat is just one way to quantify the hot, dry pattern<\/a> Dallas-Fort Worth has been locked in for the last several weeks, keeping temperatures elevated and rain scarce<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the worst of the 100-degree weather could pause in early September, the actual start of fall temperatures may still be weeks away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Why has it been so hot in North Texas lately?<\/p>\n Dallas-Fort Worth has seen a summer of extended heat advisories and extreme heat warnings, with nearly 30 days at or over 100 degrees so far this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most of North Texas was under an extreme heat warning every day for more than a week. The warning was first issued<\/a> by the National Weather Service\u2019s Fort Worth office Aug. 18, and expired last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe big culprit here is a massive upper level ridge of high pressure, which has been essentially parked across the southern half of the United States all month long,\u201d said Tom Bradshaw, meteorologist in charge at the Weather Service\u2019s Fort Worth office.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bradshaw said the ridge generally prevents any kind of rain from forming, causing the soil and vegetation to dry out.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes much easier on a day-in and day-out basis to warm up the atmosphere because the ground is so dry that when the sun comes out, it’s able to heat up very rapidly,\u201d Bradshaw said.\u00a0<\/p>\n That lack of moisture has made it easier for temperatures to climb, resulting in daily highs over 100 degrees almost every day this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bradshaw said while temperatures have been brutal this summer, this year isn\u2019t unprecedented.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 doesn\u2019t even approach the top of the list when looking at \u201cstreaks\u201d of triple-digit days, with 10 days being the longest streak so far this year. A few days in August topped out in the upper 90s, which, while still sweltering, disrupted a chance of setting a record.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bradshaw said when comparing streaks of 100-degree days, summer 1980 is the \u201cgold standard\u201d and virtually unbreakable, seeing 42 back-to-back days with temperatures over 100 degrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n When will it start cooling down in Texas?<\/p>\n Chillier overnight lows often signal a cooler pattern, since the temperature has further to climb during the day to reach triple-digit heights. Over the last decade, nighttime temperatures below 75 degrees have often arrived in the last week of August or the first week of September.<\/p>\n Related: Why nighttime temperatures in Dallas are rising faster than daytime highs<\/a><\/p>\n The heat wave affecting the southern U.S. is expected to continue through at least Sept. 7, with continued risks of extreme heat, according to the Climate Prediction Center<\/a> \u2014 making more refreshing nighttime temperatures unlikely in the short term.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The National Weather Service is still expecting summer weather to continue into early fall, which Bradshaw said could be due to several causes like natural variability or the developing El Nino<\/a>. North Texas could see above-normal temperatures through November, according to the Climate Prediction Center\u2019s<\/a> three-month temperature outlook.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to be 90s and 100s all the way into November, but it\u2019s relative to what the normal is,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cWe will continue to be at least several degrees above normal, probably all the way through the fall.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \nWhen does fall start?\u00a0\n<\/p>\n It depends who you ask.\u00a0<\/p>\n The weather service groups the fall season into the months of September, October and November. However, when using astronomical measurements, fall begins on the autumnal equinox<\/a>, which takes place this year at 7:05 p.m. on Sept. 22.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: When’s the first day of fall? And more importantly, when will D-FW feel like fall?<\/a><\/p>\n Over the next couple of weeks, Bradshaw said he expects to see the daily low temperature back into the 70s at night, providing North Texans some heat relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n North Texans may have to wait a little longer for a truly crisp fall morning, though. The first night below 60 degrees is often considered one of the first signs of fall, and according to historic data from the weather service, its arrival varies significantly. Since 1980, that benchmark has come as early at the beginning of September and as late as mid-October.<\/p>\n Cooler fall temperatures won\u2019t become reliably expected this year until mid-October, Bradshaw said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt may take us a little longer to get below 60 [at night],\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cThat\u2019s a ways off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Eventually, Bradshaw said the \u201clong awaited\u201d El Nino pattern<\/a> will begin later this year in November or December, when D-FW could see more normal or cooler-than-usual temperatures for winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n The southern U.S. is expected to see a \u201cwetter than normal\u201d season this winter, Bradshaw said. Wetter than normal means increased precipitation over the winter, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean more snow.\u00a0<\/p>\n