HOUSTON (KIAH) – June 1st marks the start of “meteorological summer”, and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects this summer to be another warmer-than-average one.

For weather record-keeping purposes, meteorological summer is defined as the months of June, July and August. The summer solstice is June 21st, which marks the day in the Northern Hemisphere with the longest days and shortest nights, also known as the start of “calendar summer”.

Summer date semantics aside, there has been a clear temperature trend for decades: summers are getting hotter.

Average summer temperatures for Houston since 1970

Since 1970, Houston summers have warmed by an average of 4.2 degrees. 2022 was Houston’s 2nd hottest summer on record with an average temperature of 86.6 degrees (blend of each day’s high and low).

According to the Climate Prediction Center, this summer is likely to be warmer than average for much of the U.S., including all of Texas.

Summer temperature outlook (NOAA/CPC)