Record-Breaking Summer Heat Scorches Texas and Southwest
Texas and the Southwest face record-breaking heat, with millions under excessive heat warnings and energy demand hitting new highs. Experts attribute the extreme conditions to a persistent heat dome affecting the region.
Bollywood Fever: The relentless summer heat wave continues to batter Texas and the Southwest, with Wednesday pushing Phoenix closer to an unprecedented 90 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures.
Millions across the region are under excessive heat warnings, as energy demand in Texas reached an unofficial all-time high on Tuesday, according to the state’s grid operator.
Texas is currently under a major heat alert, described by the National Weather Service as “rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief.” This extreme heat alert extends into eastern New Mexico as well.
This intense heat is being driven by a slow-moving high-pressure system, often referred to as a heat dome. Meteorologist Bryan Jackson explains, “It is usually sunny, the sun is beating down, it is hot and the air is contained there.
He added that several locations, particularly in Texas, are setting daily temperature records. Cities like Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Amarillo are bracing for record highs, while in Phoenix, brief monsoon rains have provided some respite, but daytime temperatures still soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).
The heat dome is expected to shift into western Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico by Saturday, before moving into the mid-Mississippi Valley, where it is forecast to weaken slightly.
Approximately 14.7 million people are currently under an excessive heat warning, with heat indexes predicted to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) or higher. An additional 10 million people are under a heat advisory.
In Fort Worth, Texas, the extreme heat has led to hundreds of emergency care visits in August. MedStar ambulance service reported responding to 286 heat-related calls in the first 20 days of August, averaging about 14 per day, an increase from 11 per day in August 2023, according to public information officer Desiree Partain.
Similarly, Austin-Travis County EMS has seen an uptick in heat-related illness calls since April, with the majority being cases of heat exhaustion.
Despite the record-setting heat, Texas residents have not been asked to reduce their energy usage this year, a stark contrast to the 11 conservation notices issued last year.
Doug Lewin, an energy consultant and president of Stoic Energy, attributes this to improvements in the state’s independent energy grid, which now better manages supply and demand.
Additionally, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has adjusted its criteria for issuing conservation notices, citing their ineffectiveness and unpopularity.
“It’s been a hot summer, but this one does stand out in terms of extremes,” Jackson remarked. The severity of the heat has already had serious consequences; earlier this month, about 100 people fell ill, and 10 were hospitalized due to the extreme heat at a Colorado air show. At least two fatalities have also been reported in California’s Death Valley National Park.
Globally, the trend of rising temperatures appears to be easing slightly. The European climate agency Copernicus announced on Thursday that July marked the end of a 13-month streak of consecutive new average heat records, as the El Niño climate pattern begins to fade.
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