Hotter-than-normal summertime heat is back
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Meteorological Summer began June 1. Astronomical Summer arrived with the Summer Solstice, the night of June 20. Regardless of which you choose to use as your "official" start of the summer season, the fact remains that, again this year, much of the United States is facing another hotter-than-normal summer season.
Last year, planet-warming carbon pollution surged at the fastest annual rate of record, according to climate experts at Climate Central. Heat-trapping pollutants are leading to earlier, hotter summers, leading to dangerous heat extremes more frequent and more intense.
Since 1970, summers have heated up by an average of 2.6°F, higher in some cities, lower in others. Our climate partners at Climate Central analyzed 242 cities to discover that 97% of those cities have seen that average warming.
They also discovered that one in every five cities is experiencing one additional month of hotter-than-normal summer days than nearly 55 years ago. To the surprise of no one, again, it's the Northwest and the Southwest that are seeing the higher number of hotter summer days than the other parts of the country.
It's important to know that this analysis is based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Heat is being trapped near the surface, whether in total or in part, by greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide and methane have contributed the most. Most of the emissions come from transportation, energy generation, and industry.
Let's bring this closer to home. What are Austin's numbers when it comes to all this heat?
Since 1970, our summer warming has increased by nearly five degrees. This number continues to climb as a result of the last three summers being in the Top 7 of warmest average summer temperatures.
The second hottest summer season on record was two years ago, when the average temperature was an uncomfortable 89.4°, one-tenth of a degree below 2011. Last year's average temperature was 86.7°, tied for 7th.
Through the first 20 days of June 2025, the average temperature in Austin is 84.1°, a little higher than the month's average of 83°. Thankfully, there have been no triple-digit high temperatures this month.
A better perspective on this is the number of days where the average temperature has been above normal.
It's a staggering number of 50-plus days where, since 1970, the average daily temperature has been greater than the normal. That trend is continuing this month as evidenced by the June 19 average temperature being five degrees above the average (89° vs. the normal of 84°.)
All this to say that as the warming continues, it's the time when reminders of heat safety precautions are so necessary to withstand the hot days and the warm, muggy mornings. We've mentioned several times that excessive heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in our country, with a record 2,325 people dying in the United States in 2023. This statistic comes from the Journal of the American Medical Association.