Mid-August · Extreme heat Critical

Texas lawn conditions

Updated

Heat holds through late week for many metros (NWS Dallas-class highs near ~102 Wednesday / ~100 Thursday / ~105 Friday after Heat Advisories expired for many North Texas counties—South Texas Heat Advisories remain expired for many Corpus Christi / Brownsville-class zones; Houston-class highs near ~96 Wednesday / ~99 Thursday / ~100 Friday; Amarillo city and Oklahoma Panhandle Heat Advisories continue through Wednesday evening Aug 12 while Palo Duro Canyon Extreme Heat Warning continues through Wednesday evening Aug 12; El Paso-class Heat Advisories remain expired this midday with highs near ~96/~94/~95; NHC Atlantic Special 1000 AM EDT Wed Aug 12: Central Tropical Atlantic AL92—formation high ~80% / high ~80%; Central Subtropical Atlantic AL93—high ~80% / high ~80%; west Africa wave—low ~20% / low ~30%—no tropical cyclones at this time)—survival irrigation, obey drought stages, scout chinch/grubs/hunting-billbug tug-test hollow stems/sugarcane-beetle night light aggregations/bermudagrass-mite witches’-broom tufts/mole-cricket soap-flush ridges/fire-ant foraging, fall-armyworm chew fronts, and banks-grass-mite stippling on stressed turf; skip heavy fertilizer; watch tip burn if reclaimed or well water runs high chloride.

Do this week

  1. Water deep on assigned days only—check drought stage before adding minutes.
  2. Mow higher with sharp blades; avoid midday traffic on heat-stressed turf.
  3. Skip fertilizer and most herbicides until stress eases.
  4. Audit irrigation for runoff, misting, and dry spots after each cycle.

Watch for

  • Tip burn from salts or recycled water
  • Localized dry spot / hydrophobic thatch circles
  • Grubs or billbugs under irregular wilt
  • Monsoon-related fungal flare where nights stay humid
Regional notes & context

Why this week

Peak summer in Texas is about keeping crowns alive under high evaporative demand—not chasing emerald color. NWS heat-dome patterns still favor widespread near-/above-100 °F from Texas into the Southwest through Wednesday midday into late week (Dallas-class highs near ~102 Wednesday / ~100 Thursday / ~105 Friday after Heat Advisories expired for many North Texas counties—South Texas Heat Advisories remain expired for many Corpus Christi / Brownsville-class zones; El Paso-class Heat Advisories remain expired this midday with highs near ~96 Wednesday / ~94 Thursday / ~95 Friday; Phoenix-class highs sit near ~102 Wednesday / ~101 Thursday / ~101 Friday after valley Extreme Heat Warning themes expired—lower Colorado / Yuma / Imperial / Chuckwalla Extreme Heat Warning themes are also expired this midday with Yuma-class highs near ~104/~105/~104; Coachella / Palm Springs-class highs near ~106 Wednesday / ~102 Thursday / ~100 Friday after Coachella / Imperial / Chuckwalla Extreme Heat Warnings expired; Las Vegas / Northwest Desert-class ~103 Wednesday / ~102 Thursday / ~100 Friday after Extreme Heat Warning themes expired for Lake Mead / Northeast Clark / Western Clark / Las Vegas Valley zones; Salt Lake-class ~92 Wednesday / ~84 Thursday / ~87 Friday after metro Extreme Heat Warning themes expired; Fresno / Central Valley-class ~102 Wednesday / ~96 Thursday / ~94 Friday after Extreme Heat Warning themes expired; Albuquerque-class ~96 Wednesday / ~91 Thursday / ~92 Friday after metro Heat Advisories expired); NHC Atlantic Special Tropical Weather Outlook (1000 AM EDT Wed Aug 12): Central Tropical Atlantic disturbance AL92 about 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands has formation chances high ~80% in 48 hours and high ~80% through 7 days (a tropical depression will likely form); Central Subtropical Atlantic low AL93 about 1050 miles east-northeast of Bermuda has high ~80% in 48 hours and high ~80% through 7 days (likely to become a short-lived tropical storm while moving east to east-northeast); a tropical wave just offshore of west Africa has low ~20% in 48 hours and low ~30% through 7 days—no Atlantic tropical cyclones at this time; SE Texas stays hot with Houston-class highs near ~96 Wednesday / ~99 Thursday / ~100 Friday, expanding Plains drought, and watering restrictions make calendar watering risky. Without a reliable leach rain, soluble salts and specific ions concentrate in the top inch.

Seasonal notes

  • Flush salts only when your water rules allow and turf can use the water.
  • Coastal vs inland microclimates differ sharply—follow your district first.
  • Amarillo, Dallas, Houston, and El Paso are different climates—spotty Gulf leftovers are not a statewide leach. Local extension and water authorities win.

Last updated

Content refreshed August 12, 2026 (Wednesday midday) for Texas. Educational orientation only—not a site-specific diagnosis.