Texas heat wave may have set record for nation’s hottest winter temp ever recorded

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FALCON HEIGHTS, Texas - A heat wave that has had South Texas sizzling this week may have broken yet another record.

A sprawling area of high pressure has sent temperatures soaring across the southern U.S., pushing temperatures more than 20 degrees above average for this time of year in some places.

By the numbers:

On Thursday, Texas saw its first triple-digit temps of the year recorded in several towns near the border. In Laredo, the mercury topped out at 103 degrees and broke the record high for the day set in 2024.

Laredo, Texas, broke its daily record high temperature Feb. 26, 2026. (FOX Weather)

The National Weather Service office in Brownsville, Texas, said a temperature recorded Thursday along the border may be the hottest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. during meteorological winter.

"Preliminary data from the COOP site shows Falcon Dam reached a scorching 106°F yesterday, Feb 26," Brownsville NWS officials wrote in a tweet.

Officials still need to verify the data and confirm equipment was functioning properly before the record can be made official.

The backstory:

Meteorological seasons divide a year into quarters for ease of record keeping. Meteorological winter runs from December to February. Meteorological spring begins March 1 and goes until May 31.