After two weeks of winter and three weeks of spring, we’re rushing toward an early summer.
February’s warm weather passed the baton to March, which just ran away with it. March 2026 was exceptionally warm, surely in the top 10 warmest of the 40+ years of government records in Denton County.
The average high was 78.6 which was over 11 degrees warmer than the normal high of 67. The average low was 51.9, over 7 degrees warmer than normal. March is legendary for its 75-degree temperature range; as cold as 25 and hot as 100 (thankfully, not in the same year). This year in Denton, March managed a 68-degree range from an overnight low of 27 on the 16th to 95 on the 22nd.
Rainfall was disappointing. 11-hundredths of an inch fell on the 3rd and 4th. Another .41” fell on the 7th. The best rains fell on March 10th and 11th, adding up to 1.01”. Through March 28, Denton Enterprise Airport recorded 1.57”. Denton County should have accumulated 7.24 inches of rain year-to-date. Actual precipitation since January is three inches short at 4.27”.
Anyone in North Texas can complain about the lack of rain and the shortness of spring, but considering how destructive and deadly the weather was in other parts of the country, we can be grateful it passed us by.
The same applies to the winter of 2026. Over 150 Americans died from winter storms in January and February. March was an unusually violent month with a dozen severe weather outbreaks, averaging one severe weather outbreak every third day of the month. As of March 27, the Storm Prediction Center had logged 271 tornadoes. At least 14 tornado/severe weather deaths were recorded during March.
Looking ahead, the 30-day forecast from the Climate Prediction Center shows Texas is likely to be warmer than normal statewide with an above-normal probability of rainfall in east and northeast Texas. A mild La Nina is fading, which means the Southern Oscillation should have little impact on the contiguous United States in the months ahead. What can we expect of late spring and the early “meteorological” (June) summer? The April-May-June outlook has normal temps and precipitation.
The 2026 Texas Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday is April 25–27, allowing tax-free emergency supplies such as generators, batteries, first aid kits and Weather-Alert radios.
WBAP and FOX 4 are hosting “WeatherCon ‘26” Saturday, May 2, at the Frontiers of Flight Museum on the Lemmon Avenue side of Love Field. Save the date! More later.
