The oppressive heat that descended on Texas last week will continue this week, with nearly every weather service office in the state issuing heat advisories or warnings for the days ahead.
After reaching a high temperature of 108 degrees Sunday, El Paso will again face triple digit heat Monday through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Monday’s high could reach 109 degrees, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning through Tuesday for El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
“Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illness, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” the NWS posted on its website. The threat will be downgraded to a heat advisory for Wednesday through Friday. Forecasters anticipate temperatures in the region will cool slightly — area high temperatures should remain in the low-to-middle 100s until Saturday.
Meteorologist Brian Curran with the National Weather Service in Midland told Marfa Public Radio that the region’s record for the number of consecutive days with temperatures above 100 degrees will likely be broken on Thursday.
"We’re looking at least five, maybe six more days of this triple-digit heat here at Midland before pattern breaks and we get some cooler temperatures in here," he said.
In North Texas Fort Worth/Dallas area is also under a heat advisory until Tuesday evening. Heat-index values there will be between 105 and 110 degrees, the NWS said. The DFW area won’t see a high temperature lower than 100 degrees until Saturday, according to current forecasts. The heat advisory extends as far south as Temple and Hearne and northward to Sherman and east to Paris, according to the NWS map.
In South Texas, the NWS for Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley issued a heat advisory for Monday with heat index temperatures expected to be in the 110s. The high temperatures for that region through Saturday will range from the high 90s to about 109 degrees with overnight heat index values in the 90s.
According to the National Weather Service, a heat advisory is issued within 12 hours “of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions.”
“The general rule of thumb for this Advisory is when the maximum heat index temperature is expected to be 100 [degrees] or higher for at least 2 days, and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 [degrees],” the NWS explains. A heat warning is issued when “heat index temperature is expected to be 105 [degrees] or higher for at least 2 days and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees.”
In the Houston/Southeast Texas area, triple digit temperatures are expected throughout the week and a heat advisory is in effect in the area until Monday evening. National Weather Service meteorologist Timothy Cady told Houston Public Media that the temperature will feel closer to 115 degrees and reminded Texans not to take the threat of heat-related illness lightly.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that the heat is the number one weather-related killer in the U.S. each year,” he said. “We have over 700 heat-related deaths and over 60,000 emergency room visits across the country each year. So, it’s really important to be cognizant of the conditions outside.”
Around Austin and San Antonio, heat advisories and excessive heat warnings will continue through the week. Temperatures will be above normal with no rain expected, the NWS said in a tweet. Parts of the area could get a slight reprieve from the sweltering heat this weekend — on Saturday, highs could drop below 100 degrees. But most of the area will continue to see triple-digit heat until at least the end of the month.
The unforgiving weather has already led to the deaths of two people in West Texas. Late last week a Florida man and his 14-year-old stepson died at Big Bend National Park, the Associated Press reported. The stepson became sick during a hike and was left with his older brother while the stepfather went back to the family’s vehicle. The boy was later found dead by park rangers and agents from the U.S. Border Patrol; the stepfather was later found dead and authorities said he had crashed his vehicle over an embankment, the AP reported.
Over the weekend in Sunland Park, N.M., just west of El Paso, the bodies of two people were found in the desert near the state line, the El Paso Times reported. Authorities have not confirmed their identities or whether they were migrants, but it has been reported that they were found in an area often used by undocumented immigrants.
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Got a tip? Email Julián Aguilar at jaguilar@kera.org.You can follow Julián on Twitter @nachoaguilar.
