While 2023 brought plenty of positives on the weather front, I think we’re all okay saying “good riddance!”
The summer, in particular, was rough. Records were broken left and right. Now, we can officially say that 2023 was the hottest year on record for the Alamo City.
- We’ll finish the year with an overall average temperature of 72.6°.
- That’s good enough for first place all-time for the hottest year in San Antonio, since records have been kept (1886).
- If you consider only high temperatures, then 2023 ranks third all time, with an average high temperature of 83.3°.
- Climate change likely played a part, along with other factors like La Niña, and a persistent drought.
HOW IS THE RECORD DETERMINED?
In this case, we’re looking at the overall average temperature. This averages the high temperature and low temperature for each day during the year.
So remarkably, the average temperature of 72.6° includes some very cold nights during the winter.
The number was skewed, however, by a record-setting summer heat wave that saw numerous days above 105°.
It’s also worth noting that several other locations in Texas also saw their hottest all-time year including Austin, Del Rio, New Braunfels. Houston finished with its second warmest year ever.
Temperature records in San Antonio have been kept since 1886.
WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 HOTTEST YEARS FOR SAN ANTONIO?
| RANK | YEAR | AVG. TEMPERATURE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2023 | 72.6° |
| 2. | 2006 | 72.1° |
| 1933 | 72.1° | |
| 4. | 2020 | 71.8° |
| 2011 | 71.8° | |
| 6. | 2017 | 71.7° |
| 2012 | 71.7° | |
| 8. | 1927 | 71.6° |
| 9. | 1954 | 71.4° |
| 10. | 2002 | 71.2 ° |
CLIMATE CHANGE?
Before you jump to the comment section and share your thoughts on the topic, know that climate change is just one piece of the puzzle. Multiple factors play into why temperatures behave the way they do.
However, it’s worth noting in the chart above that seven out of the top 10 hottest years have occurred since 2002.
While much more data is needed to draw a concrete conclusion, this does hint at the fact that the world’s climate is changing. This is most notable when it comes to warmer nights, especially during the summer.
WILL 2024 BE AS HOT?
Hard to know. We can look at the fact that El Niño will be in place, at least to start the year. This could help some. But, at the end of the day, all possibilities are on the table. One thing is for sure, rainfall is what helps us most with controlling temperatures. The wetter the year, often the cooler the year. We’ll be hoping for both in 2024.