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Dallas had never hit 90 degrees in November. It just did so three of the past four days.

November 6, 2017 at 11:17 a.m. EST
Temperature difference from normal simulated by GFS model late Sunday. (WeatherBell.com)

Up until this year, in 118 years of weather records, Dallas had never hit 90 degrees during November. It just did so three times in the past four days.

The heat that scorched Dallas is part of record-setting heat wave that has consumed most of the Lonestar State to start November. In Austin, Houston and San Antonio as well, temperatures soared some 10 to 20 degrees above normal, levels more typical of September.

Consider the following records established in recent days:

  • Dallas hit 94 on both Thursday and Sunday, shattering the previous daily records of 87 (set in 2012) and 89 (from 2005). The 94-degree temperature became the highest ever recorded in November by five degrees and the hottest so late in the season. Dallas also set a record high of 90 Saturday, breaking the record of 88 from 1987.
  • Houston hit 90 Sunday, breaking the record of 87 from 2005.
  • San Antonio hit 91 Sunday, breaking the record of 89 from 1898. It also set a record high Friday when it hit 89, breaking the record of 86 set in 2016.
  • Austin hit 88 Sunday, tying the record from 1963. It also set a record high of 88 on Friday, breaking the record of 87 from 2012.

Record-challenging heat may continue in Southeast Texas on Monday and Tuesday. Houston’s highs are predicted to surge into the upper 80s.

But a strong cold front slicing southeast across the state will gradually put an end to the toasty conditions. Dallas is about to see its temperatures tumble. After climbing to near 80 Monday, its highs are only expected to be in the 60s for the rest of the week.

It will take until Wednesday for the cooler air to spill into Houston, when high temperatures will settle in the 70s.

Dallas’ November warmth ties into an expanding set of unprecedented high temperature extremes set around the world this calendar year: