The intense heat wave that scorched Texas last week, pushing unusually high temperatures from the Great Plains all the way to New York, has officially passed over much of the country. But Texans shouldn’t expect much relief just yet.
Highs across the state remain unseasonably warm, with temperatures from El Paso to Austin lingering near 100 degrees this week.
In Central Texas — including Austin and San Antonio — and stretching east toward the coast, even temperature lows are forecast to stay in the 70s, providing little respite from the heat as nighttime temperatures warm faster than daytime temperatures.
While temperatures are not expected to reach the triple digits seen last week, when a heat dome brought some of the globe’s highest daily temperatures to the Texas-Mexico border, Central Texas can still expect persistent, uncomfortable warmth with highs in the upper 90s. Historically, temperatures this high don’t usually arrive until early June.
“The heat wave continues through early next week with a slight cool down middle of the week as daily record high temperatures overlaps with Gulf moisture,” according to the National Weather Service office in Austin-San Antonio. “Isolated thunderstorms are possible during the afternoon and evening for Thursday, mainly over western counties. We warm back up by the end of the week.”
Red flag warnings are currently in effect from Midland-Odessa westward, signaling an increased wildfire risk from high winds and elevated temperatures. However, as of early Monday, Central Texas has not seen heat advisories or warnings like those issued last week.
How hot will Austin get this week?
Temperatures in Central Texas will linger in the low-to-upper 90s this week.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Heat dome may be gone, but wave persists in Central Texas as highs near 100 degrees
Reporting by Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
