Dallas is among several Texas cities to have experienced several straight days of extreme heat over a 12-month period that ended in October, setting a new record, according to a news release.
Data analysis provided by Climate Central indicates that no major city experienced more consecutive days of extreme heat than Houston, coming in at 22 days. In Texas, Austin spent 16 straight days in extreme heat, followed by San Antonio at 15 days and Dallas at 14 days, per the release.
The definition of extreme heat differs based on location, humidity, temperature, and cloud cover, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In North Texas, extreme heat generally applies to higher-than-average temperatures for prolonged periods.
The Dallas Morning News reported earlier this month that Dallas-Fort Worth was historically hot last summer, with triple-digit highs leading to the deaths of more than 20 people from heat-related illnesses.
Across the world, temperatures were more than 34 degrees above pre-industrial levels from November 2022 through October 2023, according to Climate Central.
“This marks the hottest year-long period in recorded history,” the organization reported. “During this span, more than 500 million people in 200 cities experienced streaks of extreme heat, with at least five days of daily temperatures in the 99th percentile compared to 30-year norms.
According to weather data cited by Climate Central, 5.7 billion people were exposed during the 12-month period to at least 30 days of above-average temperatures.
“Records will continue to fall next year, especially as the growing El Nino begins to take hold, exposing billions to unusual heat,” said Dr. Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central, in a prepared statement.
According to its website, Climate Central is a non-profit science and news organization that covers topics concerning energy and climate.