August 2026 goes into the books as the third-hottest August on record in DFW. Reliable climate records for Denton go back only to the 1970s, so I won’t try to rank it like DFW Airport, but it appears Denton County was even hotter and drier than DFW.
The hot, dry weather was caused by a strong upper-level high-pressure ridge that deflected storm tracks far to the north while forcing dry air to the surface, warming at a rate of 3 degrees per 1,000 feet.
The average high this past August soared to nearly 103 degrees, 7 degrees hotter than normal. Our average low was 77 degrees, which was 4 degrees warmer than the normal August low of 73 degrees. The hottest temperature of the month was 109 degrees, reached two days in a row, Aug. 23 and 24. In mid-August, Denton suffered through 14 consecutive days with highs at or above 103 degrees. Just brutal.
Rainfall in August was zero. The last measurable rainfall in Denton, 0.12 inches, was recorded July 12. Denton detected a trace of rainfall three times in August, but nothing measurable, at least through Aug. 28.
Presuming no rainfall through Aug. 31, we’ll be looking at 54 days without any measurable rainfall. Another week with no rain — which looks likely right now — and Denton will hit 60 days without measurable rainfall. The U.S. Drought Monitor now lists Denton County as being in “severe drought.”
Lakes are dropping, ponds and tanks are drying up, and more than a few landowners are praying that, unlike the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto County, the winds will stay relatively calm.
The official rainfall total from January through August is only 13.5 inches, nearly 10 inches — 9.5 inches, to be exact — below normal. This is getting very serious. Anything you can do to protect your property from wildfire should be at the top of your to-do list. Pull out any dead brush or bushes on your property and make sure your home landscape is well-watered.
The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation in Texas. That means the average high this September will likely be warmer than our normal 90-degree highs and 65-degree lows.
The Climate Prediction Center is also fully on board with forecasting a “strong” El Niño developing in the warming waters of the Pacific. If it materializes, North Texas can expect a wetter-than-normal winter, which we could all use.
Our second “severe weather season” of the year could develop as early as mid-September. We certainly need the rain, but we sure don’t need any lightning.
