Texas could break 123-year record as temperatures plunge

Unusually cool temperatures will be felt across the southern U.S. later this week, with National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts indicating that East Texas could break a 123-year record with the chilly weather.

The plunging temperatures follow several days of severe weather that raged across Texas and surrounding states, creating numerous tornadoes and other hazards such as large hail and severe thunderstorms. With the incoming cold spell, some parts of the South will drop as much as 30 degrees below average for this time of year, AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

“Some record low maximum temperatures may be set in the southern states, with highs in the 40s and 50s [Fahrenheit] in some locations, compared to historical averages in the 70s to near 80s,” Buckingham told Newsweek.

The greatest chance for record-breaking temperatures will occur on Friday, NWS Weather Prediction Center data shows. Nine climate locations across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, have a chance at breaking low maximum temperature records. A low maximum temperature record means the coldest daytime high temperature ever recorded at a given location for a specific date.

One of the records in question is for the East Texas Regional Airport in Longview. A forecast high temperature of 59 degrees on Friday is expected to break the previous low maximum temperature record of 61 degrees, set in 1903.

Other locations that could break similar records include Lubbock, Texas; Wichita Falls, Texas; Waco, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; Greenville, Mississippi; and Greenwood, Mississippi.

Some records could also be broken on Saturday, such as low minimum temperature records, which indicates the coldest overnight or early‑morning temperature ever recorded at a specific location for a particular calendar date, in the Upper Midwest. Several low maximum records could also be broken on Saturday across the South, including in Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina.

“Temperatures, especially daytime highs in the Midwest and Northeast, will run several to 10 degrees below average this time, compared to 15 to 30 degrees below average last week,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bob Larson told Newsweek. “New York City will see multiple days with highs in the upper 50s, compared to typical highs in the 60s.”

A map from AccuWeather shows a frost or freeze potential from Minnesota through parts of the Northeast this weekend.

It is possible that frost advisories will be issued in relation to the low temperatures, particularly across the Midwest. For example, the NWS office in Lincoln, Illinois, warned of possible frost Friday night into Saturday morning in a hazardous weather outlook. The Chicago office issued a similar alert, as did the Springfield, Missouri, location.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the only cold-weather related warnings in place by the NWS were freeze warnings in Idaho and Utah.