The weather in North Texas has fluctuated significantly over the past few days, breaking temperature records on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The recorded high on Wednesday at DFW Airport was 85 degrees Fahrenheit, beating out the 1911 record of 83. This followed a high of 83 degrees on Tuesday, which topped the previous record of 79 in 1995 and 2017.
A cold front blew through the metroplex on Wednesday night, bringing temperatures back in line with typical January weather, with highs in the upper 50s for Thursday and Friday. However, the cold front was mild compared to the arctic blast that hit the region just before the Christmas holiday, when wind chills hit 0 degrees.
The upcoming weekend is anticipated to remain dry and sunny, with temperatures near 70 degrees.
Dallas typically experiences about five days of 70-degree high temperatures and around nine days of low temperatures below freezing during the month of January. The average high for the area is 58 degrees, but this January has been significantly warmer and is expected to average out at 63 degrees.
Patricia Sanchez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, warned that the recent dry winds and low humidity have increased the potential for wildfires to spread.
The Texas A&M Forest Service reported on Thursday that it had responded to five requests for assistance with wildfires on Wednesday. These wildfires burned 742.3 acres in total.
“Each cold passage has the potential to bring elevated to critical fire weather to areas of the state,” according to the Forest Service.
The communities most at risk for wildfires in the coming days are near Waco, San Antonio, Austin, Victoria, Kingsville, and Brownsville/McAllen. Seventy counties in the state are currently under burn bans, mainly in the southern, western, and panhandle regions.
