Lubbock Ties 1972 Heat Record as South Plains Bake in Early Spring Heatwave

If you were in Lubbock on Saturday, the high temperature of 96 degrees tied the record set in 1972. It felt more like mid-July than early April. Most of the area had a hot and windy day, with afternoon temperatures rising into the 90s.

Strong winds accompanied the heat. All day, gusts reached as high as 40 MPH, pushed by steady winds from the west at 15 to 25 MPH. The winds will continue into the evening, but the skies will stay mostly clear tonight.

It's going to be even hotter on Sunday. In the morning, lows will range from 60 degrees in Lubbock to the mid-50s further west. During the day, highs will soar to the upper 90s, and some places off the Caprock will likely hit 100 degrees. The winds will blow more to the southwest, but they will stay between 15 and 25 miles per hour with high gusts.

Help is on the way by 7 a.m. on Monday. A strong cold front should have moved through the area, increasing the temperatures considerably. Monday and Tuesday highs will drop into the 70s, and Tuesday morning lows will fall into the 40s.

But the cooler weather won't last for long. By Thursday, high temperatures are expected to rise back into the 90s, which could threaten more temperature records. Clouds will get thicker by the end of the week, and there's a better chance of rain or thunderstorms from Friday through Easter Sunday, though it's still too early to say when it will rain.

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