Fall is heating up in Austin

This year's warm fall wasn't just a one-off. Autumn in Austin is getting warmer.

Why it matters: Sure, some people like a warm fall day, but fundamental climate changes can lead to more mosquitoes, higher cooling costs and longer allergy seasons.

Details:

• Of the 246 American cities that nonprofit news organization Climate Central studied, 95% saw more warm fall days (September-November) in 2020 than in 1970.

By the (national) numbers:

• 57% of those cities have warmed at least two degrees.
• 68% have seen at least seven additional days of above-average fall temperatures.

Of note: This chart doesn't include the meteorological fall of 2021, which ends today.

• But temperatures in nearly all of Texas have been, on average, above normal the last 90 days, per data from the High Plains Regional Climate Center.

What's next: The National Weather Service forecasters observed via Twitter on Monday that the "average first freeze in Austin and San Antonio is typically right about now. No freezes for the foreseeable future."

Our thought bubble: The temperature data once more gets at the gulf between on-the-ground reality and reluctance of state lawmakers to address the underlying causes of a changing climate.