Extended back-to-school forecast for the RGV

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Summer vacation may be coming to an end as kiddos head back to school over the next couple of weeks but the summer-time heat is not going anywhere, anytime soon!

Before we dive into the norms of summer and what the forecast looks like as children start to get ready for the bus stop for the 2025-2026 school year, let's talk about meteorological summer vs astronomical summer first.

Meteorological summer divides the year into three-month periods by fixed dates. For summer, it consists of the following months: June, July, and August. Climatology shows these months will see the hottest temperatures over the calendar year. This is slightly different from astronomical summer, which follows the summer equinox, marking the beginning of the season. This date varies year after year but is typically around June 21st.

WHAT IS CONSIDERED NORMAL?
Here in the Valley, specifically for the month of August, here's what McAllen, Harlingen and Brownsville will see over the 31-day period.

THE PEAK OF SUMMER

So when is the hottest time of year? July or sometime is August is the correct answer for most of the U.S. but for the Valley it's actually right around the corner!

This means that after the dates listed above, the average daytime high will slowly fall!

Information provided by https://www.climatecentral.org/

FORECAST

The first day of school for some districts around the RGV range as early as August 11th or as late as August 25th. Highs in the extended forecast, through the end of August according to the Climate Prediction Center, are leaning towards above average. More specifically we're likely to see peak afternoon temperatures in the mid 90s to low 100s and morning temperatures on either side of 80 degrees.

Information provided from: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

While normal to hotter than average temperatures are favored, heat risk is also a concern that should not be ignored. Moderate to at times major heat risk is the primary threat that poses a dangerous impact on health.

In summary, August 2025 will continue to be hot. On calendar summer may almost over with Fall on the horizon but we all know that the heat and humidity continues well into the school year regardless of what the date says!