Texas heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 207 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,648 heat records in Texas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 265 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 27, 2022 heat in Bexar County: 53 deaths. Texas ranks 1st of 51 states and territories by count and 19th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Texas, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 6,6481996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 265average
Deaths: 4982,729 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $1.0Mas filed
Busiest year: 20232,199 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Texas?

Texas averages about 265 heat records a year since 2000, 1st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (2,199). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Texas records 254 heat records since 1996, 19th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Texas have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Rockwall County leads Texas: 53 days with a heat record since 1996, 416.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Nueces County has the most heat records (230 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Rockwall County 416.6 (55)
Camp County 372.7 (74)
Morris County 293.7 (75)
Gregg County 292.6 (81)
Somervell County 279.3 (54)
Franklin County 256.7 (74)
Marion County 217.9 (85)
Rains County 213.5 (51)
Delta County 190.8 (51)
Aransas County 186.5 (48)
Titus County 182.1 (80)
Kleberg County 177.0 (174)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Texas?

66% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (2,263 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 1 · Apr 2 · May 257 · Jun 1,463 · Jul 2,095 · Aug 2,263 · Sep 563 · Oct 4 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Texas?

Texas: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2022-06-27	HeatBexar County · forecast zone Bexar Temperatures were unusually hot on the 27th with high temperatures in the San Antonio area ranging from 100-103 degrees (the normal high is 93). Sixty-seven people were found in a tractor-trailer on the southwest side of San Antonio. Fifty-three people died of heat related illnesses. Forty-eight people died at the ...	53	0	–
2005-09-21	HeatHarris County · forecast zone Harris One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places, 2005-09-21 to 2005-09-22; the totals are the episode's. Deaths were all associated with the evacuation for Hurricane Rita, both before and after Rita's arrival. Rita made landfall just east of the Texas/Louisiana border early Saturday morning, September 24th.	49	0	–
1998-07-01	HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A prolonged excessive heat event continued across north Texas in July. This heat wave was the result of existing drought conditions combined with a persistent upper level ridge of high pressure. For the month of July, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) recorded an average high of 102.4 degrees, which was ...	32	0	–
2000-07-06	HeatHarris County · forecast zone Harris One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Excessive heat impacted southeast Texas for much of the month of July. High temperatures ranged from 98 to 105 degrees on a daily basis over all but the immediate coast during a 2 week period. College Station recorded 12 consecutive days with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. Highest temperatures for the month ...	19	0	–
2023-08-01	Excessive HeatTarrant County · forecast zone Tarrant One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. The hot summer continued into August, with temperatures reaching at least Heat Advisory criteria area-wide for the first half of the month.	15	501	–
2011-07-01	HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Triple digit daytime temperatures and warm overnight lows gripped nearly all of north Texas for the entire month of July. A few records for daily high temperatures were set or tied, but several records for highest minimum temperatures were set. Dallas/Fort Worth set a new all-time record highest minimum temperature of ...	15	223	–
2011-08-01	Excessive HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. Brutal triple digit daytime temperatures and warm overnight lows continued to occur across north Texas through the month of August. Only 3 scattered days provided relief from the record-setting heat. By the time August ended, it had been the warmest summer on record in both Dallas/Fort Worth and Waco. The average ...	14	193	–
2011-08-06	HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. Brutal triple digit daytime temperatures and warm overnight lows continued to occur across north Texas through the month of August. Only 3 scattered days provided relief from the record-setting heat. By the time August ended, it had been the warmest summer on record in both Dallas/Fort Worth and Waco. The average ...	13	345	–
2017-07-22	HeatBexar County · forecast zone Bexar Thirty-nine people were discovered in a hot semi-trailer just aftermidnighton Sunday, July 23rd in southwestern San Antonio. The San Antonio Fire Department reported that 8 people died at the scene. Two others died after being taken to hospitals. Twenty-nine others were treated for heat related illnesses. High ...	10	29	–
2000-07-01	HeatDallas County · forecast zone Dallas An unusually strong upper level ridge of high pressure built over North Texas early in the month. This allowed afternoon high temperatures to climb into a range from the upper 90s to around 106 degrees for most of the month. The heat and humidity was particularly bad during the period from the 12th through the 21st, ...	8	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest heat records in Texas

Texas: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2011-08-04	Excessive HeatWood County · forecast zone Wood		0	0	$262K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Texas?

Texas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Texas and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Texas	United States	Texas's share
1996-99	184	4,355	4.2%
2000s	385	9,163	4.2%
2010s	919	16,445	5.6%
2020-26	5,160	26,796	19.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Texas

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-06-21	HeatWilbarger County · forecast zone Wilbarger	–
2026-06-21	HeatKnox County · forecast zone Knox	–
2026-06-21	HeatHardeman County · forecast zone Hardeman	–
2026-06-21	HeatFoard County · forecast zone Foard	–
2026-06-21	HeatBaylor County · forecast zone Baylor	–
2026-06-19	HeatKenedy County · forecast zone Coastal Kenedy	–
2026-06-19	HeatKenedy County · forecast zone Inland Kenedy County	–
2026-06-19	HeatWillacy County · forecast zone Coastal Willacy	–
2026-06-19	HeatCameron County · forecast zone Coastal Cameron	–
2026-06-19	HeatCameron County · forecast zone Cameron	–
2026-06-19	HeatHidalgo County · forecast zone Southern Hidalgo County	–
2026-06-19	HeatHidalgo County · forecast zone Northern Hidalgo County	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.