Collin County Residents Warned to Prepare for Unseasonably High Weekend Temperatures

A brutal burst of summer-like heat descended on Collin County last weekend, as the National Weather Service and FOX4 warned residents across Plano, Frisco, and McKinney to brace for temperatures more typical of August than the first days of spring.

North Texas came close to breaking several heat records for that time in March, according to the National Weather Service. Friday's high reached 89 degrees, well below the record of 92 set in 2017, but the heat climbed to a forecast high of 95 on Saturday, with Sunday expected to hit 97, which would have shattered the previous daily record of 93 set in 1934 and 1935.

Sunday's forecast came true. Fort Worth reached 95 degrees on Sunday, the warmest day of 2026 so far, breaking the region's previous record high for March 22, when it hit 93 degrees in 1934.

Saturday's forecast alone was nearly 25 degrees above the typical March average, though it remained shy of the all-time triple-digit record of 100 set in 1916. Temperatures across Collin County trended roughly 6 degrees above the 30-year average for March, which normally sees highs near 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Allen, just south of McKinney, felt the full force of the heat as the first weekend of spring arrived with temperatures more characteristic of summer, forcing some residents to change their outdoor plans. Summer-like temperatures did little to keep children off playgrounds, though parents found themselves hunting for patches of shade at Station Park.

The weekend's extremes did not arrive in isolation. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth noted that the winter of December 2025 through February 2026 was the 11th driest and third warmest on record for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with climate records stretching back to 1898. Miles Langfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, identified a strong La Niña season as the primary atmospheric driver behind the sustained warmth.

Temperatures across North Texas started in the 50s Thursday morning before climbing to the upper 80s and low 90s in the afternoon, with high pressure positioned to push readings to approach or break records through the weekend. The rapid two-day swing from jacket weather to near-triple digits underscored how quickly early spring conditions in Collin County can turn dangerous, particularly for outdoor workers, children, and elderly residents who may not yet be acclimated to heat.