The second month of 2026 was exceptionally warm and dry, launching Denton County into an early spring…and possibly an exceptional wildfire season. I’m not looking for the “cloud behind every silver lining,” but, as someone with a wide greenbelt next to our home, I’m a little concerned about “wildfire season” which happens here every spring.
By the numbers, February in North Texas will be in the top 10 warmest on record. The average high was 71.4, nearly 11 degrees warmer than the normal 60.7. The average low temperature was 45.4, much warmer than the climatological 39.8. The average monthly temperature was 58.4, compared to 50.3.
Rainfall occurred on just one day, Feb. 13th, where we officially recorded 1.31” of rain. For the year, DFW has picked up only 2.24”, less than half our normal 5.17”. By the way, our record rainfall in February was a whopping 13.99” in 1932.
The worst thing a weather forecaster can hear is, “It’s March.” March is our most difficult weather to forecast. It has the widest record temperature range from 10 above zero to 100 degrees. All I can say is that March will be very “active month.” We are looking at several outbreaks of heavy rains which will balance our early 2026 drought.
Remember, severe weather can happen any day or month of the year. My personal campaign involves two questions: “How many times were you burned out of your home?” “How many times did you experience severe weather?” If you have a smoke detector, you should have a weather-alert radio. Please buy one. They’re not expensive. They test their weather alerts twice each week (Wednesdays) so you can know that they’re working.
The National Weather Service is conducting a number of severe weather seminars across North Texas right now. Please take advantage of those opportunities.
Meanwhile, WBAP is planning our annual “WeatherCon Summit” at the Frontier of Flight Museum at Love Field on Saturday, May 2nd. We’ll have all kinds of weather-safety vendors on the main floor and presentations by Bill Bunting, senior forecaster of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK, along with numerous storm chasers and severe weather meteorologists, and a chance to meet FOX 4 meteorologists and watch your own weather forecast on TV. Admission to the Frontiers of Flight Museum is free during our event. Homeschoolers, bring it on!
