Mother Nature Cranking Up the Heat Across Southern Plains and Midwest

Posted: June 23, 2023 1:25 pm

The triple digit heat is set to continue throughout much of Texas this weekend with the record-breaking temperatures forecast to stretch into other areas of the central U.S. next week. Here is the latest on what forecasters are saying about the potentially deadly heat wave.

Heat to Continue in Texas

An expansion of the heat dome currently locked over Texas will usher in unseasonably warm temperatures to a large swath of the country. It has already been a scorcher of a week for Texas with readings that have not been recorded in over 100 years in some parts of the Lone Star State.

The large area of high pressure that is keeping the hot weather in place is forecast to remain over the state until the end of the month. As a result, you can expect more record temperatures to fall.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area will see the mercury soar into the triple digits this weekend. Farther south, Houston will also see readings of this intensity by Sunday. Both cities had seen excessive heat at the beginning of the week before temperatures dropped slightly into the 90s to close out the work week.

Records Falling in Texas

Central and western Texas saw the worst of the heat this week. The city of San Angelo recorded a high of 114 degrees on Tuesday, climbing past the all-time record high of 111 degrees. The reading of 114 degrees was hit again on Wednesday.

Other cities that saw records fall this week included Del Rio, coming in at 113 degrees on Tuesday and 115 on Wednesday. The previous record was 112 degrees, a benchmark hit previously in 1988 and 2020.

The border town Laredo saw an astonishing high of 115 degrees on Monday, breaking the past record of 114 degrees for that date in history. Unfortunately for those tired of the heat, forecasters are predicting that more records could fall in western Texas beginning on Sunday and lasting for several days.

Complicating the actual temperature is the rising humidity levels and the summer solstice bringing in the strongest sun rays of the year.

With the heat back on for Texas, the state’s power provider said that the electrical grid will likely be stressed. ERCOT is asking customers to conserve power during the peak hours between 4 pm and 8 pm. Because this power grid is operated by the state of Texas alone, it does not draw resources from other states in the region.

Heat Dome Will Expand to North and East

The strengthening and expansion of the heat dome will envelop more of the central Plains and the Mississippi Valley by early next week, putting millions more people in the impact zone. Many of these areas have not experienced heat of this magnitude this year.

For instance, Oklahoma City is forecast to hit the mid 90s by Sunday with the triple digits on tap for the middle of the week. This city has not seen readings above 93 degrees yet this season.

Cities such as Wichita and Little Rock may also notch their first days at or above 100 degrees next week. Combined with the humidity and the powerful sun, real feel readings may climb as high as 110 degrees. Residents are being cautioned to be aware of the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Risk of Thunderstorms

The heat has also set the stage for intense thunderstorms that have erupted over the southern Plains and beyond this past week. A tornado that spun up in the western Texas town of Matador killed four people. Meanwhile, a storm in the Houston area on Wednesday produced a wind gust of 97 mph at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a record for that recording station.

Some residents in Texas are still without power due to the storms. This will make the extreme heat even more challenging to endure.

Texas is forecast to see a break from the storms heading into next week. However, these storms will simply move into the Midwest and the Northeast.

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