Weather News

Dallas wins No. 1 top honor on list of hottest cities in U.S. this week

Hat tip to Fire of Love, the 2022 documentary by Sara Dosa, for this fiery image.

Photo courtesy of Image'Est

Texas wins this week with three cities earning top slots on a list of the hottest cities in the U.S. for June 27.

According to The Washington Post, Dallas was the No. 1 most hottest city for the day, followed by Fort Worth and Austin. San Antonio and Houston came in on the list at No. 5 and No. 6.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that all five of those cities also have their own local CultureMap bureaus? #hot #buzzy

Wednesday, June 28 is expected to get even hotter. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat advisory for Dallas, Collin, Denton, and Tarrant counties, though 8 pm Wednesday. Dallas is supposed to reach 107 degrees, with a heat index of 115 degrees.

As Ben Noll, a meteorologist with New Zealand’s National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, tweeted, Texas will be hotter on June 28 than 99 percent of the rest of the world, including the Sahara Desert and the Persian Gulf.

The cause — and also the buzzy hot weather phrase for 2023 — is a "Heat Dome." A heat dome is where hot air gets trapped into a certain space. The Associated Press says it occurs when “stationary high pressure with warm air combines with warmer than usual air in the Gulf of Mexico and heat from the sun that is nearly directly overhead.”

During late June, Dallas usually averages 93 degrees.

Climate scientist Andrew Pershing says that what makes this heat wave unusual is how long it has lasted, stating, "There have been places in Texas that have had more than two weeks of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which are just really unusual temperatures for this time of year even in a region that is used to heat."

But the year 2022 was also bad, with many cities across South Texas experiencing the hottest May on record.

Texas is coming on strong for breaking records in 2023, besting record-breakers from prior years such as the Pacific Northwest which experienced record-breaking heat waves in 2022, and Reno, which had the hottest night in history in July 2022.

According to ABC13 in Houston, Wednesday will be the 16th day in a row with some kind of heat-related weather alert for southeast Texas. In Austin, the heat index hit 116 degrees on June 15, the highest on record for the city. Other Texas cities have already broken records this year, including Del Rio, San Angelo, and Laredo.

It's not just Texas: A story inThe Guardian notes that nearby states including New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri are also experiencing scorching heat, with the National Weather Service predicting temperatures to rise further and stay this way through the 4th of July.

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DART developments

DART launches 90-day security initiative at key Dallas rail stations

DART

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is stepping up security and fare enforcement at several light rail stations as part of a new 90-day initiative launching Monday, November 16. Called Operation Access, the program will bring a more visible uniformed presence to key stations across the network, the agency says.

Riders will see DART police officers, fare enforcement officers, and transit security officers at designated locations, according to a press release.

As part of the initiative, all riders boarding at Pearl/Arts District Station and West End Station will pass through barriers and undergo mandatory fare validation before boarding. Those stations may experience brief delays during peak travel periods, although DART expects any additional wait times to be minimal, they say.

In addition to the two downtown stations, uniformed enforcement teams will be stationed at Bachman, Forest Lane, LBJ/Skillman, MLK Jr., and 8th & Corinth stations.

According to DART, the seven stations serve as important entry and exit points for passengers traveling to and from downtown. Placing officers and security personnel at those locations will create a more consistent presence along key rail corridors while supporting fare compliance and the agency's code of conduct.

The initiative is intended to improve safety and fare compliance while helping DART better understand how passengers move through the system as it evaluates the possibility of expanding fare-gated access across the light rail network.

"At its core, Operation Access is about creating the transit experience our riders deserve," says DART Chief of Police Charles Cato in the release. "When customers see a consistent security presence, know that fares are being checked, and feel confident that everyone is following the same rules, it creates a safer and more comfortable environment for everyone."

Cato says the first phase will allow DART to provide those benefits immediately while gathering information to help plan for the future.

DART President and CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. also describes Operation Access as an important step in modernizing fare enforcement.

"Operation Access allows us to take meaningful action today while planning responsibly for tomorrow," Ford says. "We're making the system safer and improving fare compliance right now, and at the same time we're collecting critical data that will help shape the next generation of rail security and customer experience at DART."

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