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By Thad Warren
It's no secret that Texas can get hot, with temperatures often reaching triple digits during the summer months. The average high temperature in Texas is in the high 90s during the summer and varies depending on where you are in the state.
But what are the hottest recorded temperatures in Texas?
Have you ever wondered where and when these extreme highs occurred?
The hottest temperature in Texas was recorded on June, 30th 1994 in Monahans.
Monahans is in west Texas, about 250 miles east of El Paso and 35 west of Odessa.
It’s known for Monahans Sandhills State Park, a 3,840-acre landscape of rolling sand dunes that will make you feel like you have been transported to another planet.
No surprise that this desert landscape is home to the highest temperature ever recorded in Texas.
This record temperature may be a tie for the number one spot, but because the record was set in the 1930s when the equipment used was not quite as accurate as the equipment used in 1994, it's generally accepted as the 2nd hottest recorded temperature ever recorded in Texas.
Seymour is only 175 miles northwest of Dallas and does not share the desert landscape that Monahans has. In fact, Seymour is actually classified as a humid subtropical climate.
Back on the list again is Monahans. During the same heatwave that would eventually break the record a couple of days later was this 119° temperature.
I imagine this was a busy few days at the swimming pools in town.
Del Rio, near the Mexico border, is accustomed to high average temperatures, but 115°F shattered their local high-temperature record.
In this area, the temperature records go back to 1905, so these scorching temperatures were definitely out of the norm.
Just days before Del Rio hit its hottest day on record, Laredo, about 180 miles south of Del Rio, reached the same temperature of 115°F.
Laredo has reached 115° three other times: 1927, 1942, and 1985.
This location might be a little surprising. Waco, Texas is located about halfway between Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin. While all of Texas was experiencing triple-digit temperatures with record highs during this time, it seems Waco got the brunt of the extreme heat.
The average temperature in Waco during July is 95°F which isn't exactly "cool" by any stretch of the imagination.
The west Texas town of San Angelo is about 210 miles west of Waco. There was one positive that came from one of the hottest days in Texas, this awesome public service announcement from the National Weather Service in San Angelo:
For reference, Death Valley California's hottest temperature ever recorded is 134°F, so at least it could be worse.
Needless to say, the Lone Star State gets its fair share of scorching summer days. To stay cool it's best to find a well-functioning air-conditioning system or hang out in the pool.
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