S.A. breaks temperature record set in 1894
Updated 11:18 pm, Monday, March 18, 2013
A 119-year-old temperature record fell Monday when the official high for San Antonio reached 95 degrees.
The new record, set at 3:21 p.m. at San Antonio International Airport, surpassed the high set March 18, 1894, by 2 degrees.
In the Rio Grande Valley, the high reached 100 in McAllen, demolishing the record of 94 set in 1943. And Harlingen set a record of 97, which is 2 degrees higher than the old 1930 mark.
March 6, 1991, and March 28, 1971, saw highs of 100 degrees.
Record heat in Texas
San Antonio: 95, breaks record of 93 set March 18, 1894
Other record highs across the state:
McAllen: 100 (nation's high), breaks record of 94 set in 1943
Harlingen: 97, breaks record of 95 set in 1930
Del Rio: 94, ties record set in 1908
Austin: 90, breaks record of 88 set in 1957
Houston: 89, ties record set in 1907
It also can be hotter for longer. In March 1904 and 1971, there were six days at or above 90 degrees.
Monday was the first day above 90 this year.
Temperatures are expected to cool considerably today, with a cold front pushing the high down to 82, which is still well above the normal high for March of 73.5 degrees. Toward the end of the week, daily highs will fall into the 70s.
In addition to the high temperatures, there is little chance of the drought easing. San Antonio is already 1.22 inches below average rainfall for the year, with only slight chances of scattered showers in the NWS seven-day forecast.
Spring officially starts at 6:02 a.m. Wednesday, but it doesn't look like it will provide a respite from the below-average rainfall.
The latest report from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center calls for above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall likely through August in Central Texas.