Unseasonably warm weather is sweeping across the Central United States this week, causing daily record high temperatures to be broken in Lubbock, Texas.
The average high temperature for this time of year is 64 degrees, meaning forecasted highs are more than 25 degrees hotter than is typical, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Cece Robinson told Newsweek.
Why It Matters
A rapid weather shift is impacting Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and other states this week, as record-challenging warmth sweeps over the region just days after a powerful Arctic cold front prompted freezing temperatures and even snowfall. The dramatic turnaround could break high-temperature records and enhance wildfire risks where vegetation has quickly dried out.
Temperatures surged, challenging records across several cities and “smashing” records in others.
What To Know
One such city that saw a broken daily high temperature record was Lubbock.
NWS meteorologists shared the data on X on Thursday.
“Lubbock airport reached a high of 89° today smashing the previous record of 82° set in 1973!” the office posted. “More record highs are possible Friday and Saturday before a gradual cool-down next week.”
Lubbock could break another temperature record on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, temperatures in the area are expected to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The daily high temperature record was 85 degrees, set in 1933.
On Saturday, temperatures are expected to rise again to 90 degrees. The record for that day is 85 degrees, set in 1965. The surge in temperatures has prompted the NWS Lubbock office to issue a hazardous weather outlook warning, alerting to elevated fire weather conditions.
Childress, Texas, could also break daily high temperature records, the NWS Lubbock said.
“Numerous daily temperature records will likely be broken today from Texas to South Dakota,” NWS said in a Friday forecast. “The combination of this unusual warmth, low relative humidity, and the strong, gusty winds will create favorable fire weather conditions. Therefore, Red Flag Warnings are in effect for portions of Nebraska and South Dakota, where any ignition could lead to rapid growth.”
What People Are Saying
NWS Lubbock in a post on X: “Today will be exceptionally warm by mid-November standards as temperatures soar into the mid 80s to near 90 degrees this afternoon. A new record high for the date is likely at Lubbock and possible at Childress, and Saturday will feature record-breaking highs as well.”
NWS in a Friday forecast: “A pronounced surge of unseasonably warm air is resulting in near-record to record-breaking high temperatures across a broad region of the Central and Southern Plains. Highs are forecast to reach the upper 60s and 70s, up to 20-30 degrees above normal, across parts of the Northern and Central Plains. Farther south, temperatures will soar into the upper 70s and low 80s across Texas and Oklahoma.”
What Happens Next
Temperatures are supposed to fall slightly over the weekend, but are still expected to remain above normal in Texas and many other states over the next week, according to the NWS Climate Prediction Center.
Read the full article here
