Five stories that have North Texas talking: When it’s going to rain in D-FW?; endangered sea turtles are doing well on Padre Island; Sarah Jaffe plays the KXT studio; and more.
Let’s not sugarcoat it — the weather lately has been miserable in North Texas. Heat indexes were in the triple digits Wednesday. And this September has been bone dry.
The last measurable rainfall was recorded on Aug. 27 at DFW Airport. The going-on-24-day streak has matched or exceeded the previous longest dry spell this year in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to the National Weather Service. The last period with no rain was from late January through early February when North Texas was dry for over three weeks.
A September without rain would be a first for North Texas, at least since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1898, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
But heavy rain in September is rare, averaging 2.55 inches. The Star-Telegram reports: “The lowest amount on record was 0.06 of an inch in 2014. In September 1898, when William McKinley was president and the best team in baseball was the Boston Beaneaters, it rained 0.29 of an inch.”
Weather officials are calling for drier than normal winter due to La Niña, which tends to bring warm, dry winters to Texas. If that turns out to be true, the springtime bluebonnets explosion along Texas highways could be less than spectacular, KXAS reports.
The Old Farmers Almanac, however, predicts a “cold, snowy” season for North Texas. Only time will tell. Until then, here’s the forecast for today. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, KXAS, KERA News]
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- A federal program that provides health insurance for about 390,000 Texas kids must be reauthorized by Congress by the end of the month. Most of the kids in the Children’s Health Insurance Program are in working-class families that can’t afford insurance. [KUT]
- Biking around Dallas and living to tell the tale is no small feat. Bumper-to-bumper traffic, distracted drivers, constant construction and general inaccessibility create a perfect storm only few can brave. This November, 20 miles will closed for bikers to ride. [KERA News]
- The world’s most endangered species of sea turtle is making a comeback on Padre Island. Since April, beach patrols have discovered a record 353 Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests in Texas, including 219 at Padre Island National Seashore. [KXAS]
- North Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe performed three tracks from her latest release “Bad Baby” in the KXT (our sister station) studio. Watch her play the title track below and catch the other videos here. [Art&Seek]
The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.
