Texas Is Going to Be Slammed by Sky-High Temperatures This Week

A lot of South Central Texas can expect dangerous, three-digit heat indices this week and into this weekend.

“Over the next few days, the anomalous heat is expected to expand gradually into more of western and north-central Texas, while also threatening some daily high temperature records.” Only the Texas panhandle, is going to be spared by these intense temperatures, according to the National Weather Service’s alert.

The Houston, Texas metropolitan area is expected to see temps as high as 96 degrees Fahrenheit (35.5 degrees Celsius) today. The San Antonio metropolitan area will see heat indices between 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) and 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius).

“Wash, rinse, repeat. Yet another hot one across all of South-Central TX with highs in the upper 90s to lower 100s,” the Austin and San Antonio NWS station tweeted this morning. “Heat indices will make it feel like 108-112 for locations within the Heat Advisory. Remember to drink plenty of water and avoid direct sunlight as much as possible.”

The warning points out the heat indices are going to make things feel hotter. Heat index is the two-piece combo that no one asks for—it tracks when the actual temperature outside feels hotter than the number on an ambient air thermometer because it’s humid out. This makes already high temperatures difficult to bare. When it is both hot and humid, sweat doesn’t evaporate on our skin—countering our natural defense against heat. Therefore a high heat index, especially for several days, makes a heat wave even more dangerous.

Heat waves and hot weather are a very normal part of the summer. Especially in Gulf states like Texas. But climate change takes a phenomenon that has always existed in nature and makes it more intense. As global temperatures have increased, heat wave frequency and duration have increased in the last 60 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Historically temperate parts of the country, including the Pacific Northwest, have already experienced higher-than-average temperatures this year.

Texas and the rest of the U.S. can expect more hot and humid hot days to come this summer.

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