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Astronomical and meteorological fall began in September, but seasonal fall temperatures are still a little ways away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Dallas-Fort Worth saw a taste of seasonal weather<\/a> this week, with temperatures dropping into the 70s after a record-breaking summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n But are the recent cooler temperatures<\/a> here to stay? Here\u2019s what to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why has it been so hot in North Texas this year?<\/p>\n The region is still running several degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, and another stretch of above-normal temperatures is forecast for this week.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe had, obviously, just a pretty bad last half of the summer,\u201d said Tom Bradshaw, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office. \u201cSeptember essentially broke records in terms of how warm it was.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n September\u2019s heat was due to a large upper-level ridge of high pressure<\/a> that \u201cset up shop,\u201d Bradshaw said, over the southern U.S. for the last two months. Last week\u2019s substantial storm systems<\/a> brought heavy rain and cooler temperatures, breaking the pattern in Dallas-Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Was September really as scorching as it felt in Dallas?<\/a><\/p>\n When will fall weather arrive in Dallas-Fort Worth?\u00a0<\/p>\n Astronomical and meteorological fall<\/a> began in September, but seasonal fall temperatures are still a little ways away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n High temperatures for the next week are expected to range in the mid- to high-80s, but \u201cfeels like\u201d temperatures could near and potentially enter the 90s. Low temperatures are forecast to remain in the 60s throughout the week, with the coolest part of the day generally occurring in early morning hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: After record-breaking September heat, milder weather returns to North Texas<\/a><\/p>\n Bradshaw said there is a new ridge of high pressure building over D-FW, less strong than this summer\u2019s, that will impact temperatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEven though we\u2019ve cooled off, it\u2019s in a relative sense,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cWe should be seeing high temperatures here in Dallas in the upper 70s by now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Generally, Bradshaw said temperatures in D-FW are about eight to 10 degrees above normal for this time of year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThose temperatures are probably a little more reasonable, a little easier for folks to handle, [but] the fact of the matter is we still are running above normal here in the near term,\u201d Bradshaw said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Climate Prediction Center forecast Dallas-Fort Worth will likely see above-normal temperatures until at least Oct. 20.<\/p>\n Climate Prediction Center<\/p>\n Hope for more seasonable temperatures is on the horizon, though, as Bradshaw said the weather service forecast the last half of October will see temperatures come closer to normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas-Fort Worth may also see a small front sometime next week, possibly bringing high temperatures to seasonal levels, but Bradshaw said it will not be a \u201cmajor cooldown.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometime in late October and early November, Bradshaw said the weather service expects the region to transition into a pattern that makes it easier for systems to enter into the southern U.S., such as storms or cold fronts. This pattern change could result in more fronts rolling into the region, as well as low temperatures dipping into the 50s, which is generally a marker of the fall weather season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIf people are wanting cold weather, then this is step one,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n Temperatures may also feel cooler than what the weather service predicts in more suburban or rural areas in D-FW, as temperatures are hotter closer to the city centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur climatological world is centered around DFW [International] Airport and the observation site right there,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cBut in reality, we\u2019re hundreds of square miles of real estate, and the weather can vary a lot from what\u2019s going on at DFW Airport.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: When will North Texas finally feel like fall? Here\u2019s what to expect<\/a><\/p>\n What does a late fall season in North Texas mean for winter?\u00a0<\/p>\n A warmer-than-normal fall doesn\u2019t necessarily mean North Texas will have a warm winter, but cooler temperatures may start a bit later than previous years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The winter season<\/a> generally begins in December, but Bradshaw said it\u2019s too soon to tell what winter temperatures will look like.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the Climate Prediction Center\u2019s three-month temperature outlook<\/a>, Dallas-Fort Worth has equal chances of seeing above or below normal temperatures through December.<\/p>\n The Climate Prediction Center forecast D-FW has equal chances of seeing above or below normal temperatures through December.<\/p>\n Climate Prediction Center<\/p>\n The first freeze typically falls around Nov. 22, according to historical records<\/a> from the weather service. However, Bradshaw said Dallas-Fort Worth will generally stay warmer than normal heading into late November, which means the first freeze will likely fall after that date.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bradshaw said the region\u2019s average freeze date has likely shifted later in recent years, as the Nov. 22 date was measured using data from 1990 to 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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