Intense heat wave baking South from Texas to Florida

The intense, record-setting heat that has smothered much of the southern tier of the United States from Arizona to Florida since June continues this week with little relief in sight. New Orleans, Dallas, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami and Houston are expected to be among the hottest cities, according to The Washington Post’s heat tracker, all with heat indexes as high as 105 to 115 degrees.

Excessive-heat warnings and heat advisories are in effect Tuesday across much of Texas and Florida, as well as parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, affecting more than 60 million people. The combination of high heat and humidity is forecast to be most persistent this week across parts of Texas and along the Gulf Coast, with peak heat indexes of 110 to 120 degrees common.

“The oppressive daytime heat, limited overnight cooling, and widespread record warm nighttime lows will pose a significant health risk to anyone, especially those without effective cooling and adequate hydration,” the National Weather Service said.

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Searing heat has continued mostly unabated through the first week of August after numerous heat records were set across the southern U.S., and even in Alaska, during July. On Tuesday, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service also confirmed that July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth.

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August off to a record hot start

Several record high temperatures for the month of August were recorded in Texas this past weekend, as tweeted by weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, including Sunday’s highs of 112 degrees in El Paso and 110 degrees in Del Rio. It was the second day in a row that El Paso set a record high for August, after having reached 109 degrees Saturday. In New Mexico, Las Cruces and Albuquerque both reached record August highs of 108 and 102, respectively.

On Monday, Dallas tied its all-time warmest record low of 86 degrees.

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A number of extended streaks of record heat are ongoing:

• Lafayette, La., has reached 100 degrees or higher on nine consecutive days, surpassing the previous longest streak of seven days in 2000.
• Baton Rouge has reached 100 degrees or higher on 10 straight days, breaking the previous record of eight days in 1921.
• Austin has reached 100 degrees or higher on 31 consecutive days, beating the previous longest streak of 27 days in 2011.
• College Station, Tex., has reached 100 degrees or higher 30 days in a row, tying the record of 30 days in 1998. The high there is forecast to reach 105 on Tuesday
• New Orleans climbed to 100 degrees or higher Saturday through Monday setting a record long streak. The forecast Tuesday calls for a calendar day record of 99.

Miami, which has been enduring high heat for much of the year, saw the heat index rise to 105-plus for eight hours Monday, its longest daytime streak on record. A rare excessive-heat warning is in effect there Tuesday.

Records continue to fall in Phoenix, which set a record daily high of 116 degrees Saturday and tied its record daily high of 114 degrees Sunday. Phoenix just recorded the hottest month on record for a U.S. city, and last week ended its record streak at or above 110 degrees at 31 days.

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While the southern Lower 48 bakes, the northernmost parts of the continental U.S. are also enduring exceptional warmth. Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) had its warmest daily average temperature on record Saturday, as a high of 76 and low of 56 combined for an average of 66. In Deadhorse, just a few miles from the Arctic Ocean, Saturday’s high of 84 degrees was a record for August and its second-warmest day of all time, surpassing the high of 85 degrees on July 13, 2016.

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Hot spots in the week ahead

This week’s extreme heat is expected to focus on Texas, Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern New Mexico.

High temperatures of 105 to 110 degrees are forecast for much of central and southern Texas through the weekend, and numerous record daily highs could be tied or broken. The National Weather Service is forecasting highs of 104 to 106 in Austin and San Antonio, where an excessive-heat warning remained in effect Tuesday, with heat indexes most likely peaking at 105 to 113. Parts of the region are also at elevated risk for wildfires Tuesday.

Heat advisories and excessive-heat warnings also cover much South Texas on Tuesday, including Corpus Christi, with forecast highs of 95 to 110 this week and heat indexes topping out at as high as 122 degrees. With a forecast high of 108 to 110 every day through Saturday, Laredo has a chance to tie or break its daily record each day. Del Rio, Austin, San Antonio, San Angelo and Midland could flirt with record highs each day, as well.

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The broken record of high heat and humidity continues in New Orleans, too, where the Weather Service said: “Trust us, we’re tired of it too. But remember, continue to limit your time outdoors. Stay hydrated. Check on pets and elderly!” With forecast highs of 97 to 100 degrees, New Orleans could tie or break its daily record through at least Saturday as heat indexes climb as high as 113. In Baton Rouge, the high is forecast to reach 99 to 102 all week and into the weekend, with heat indexes as high as 115.

Temperatures should be slightly cooler in Phoenix this week, but still very hot, with forecast highs of 105 to 110 each day that could trend hotter again by the weekend. The city’s 39 days reaching 110 degrees or higher this year is already the second-most on record, and temperatures sometimes climb that high into the first week of September. Phoenix’s record for number of days at or above 110 is 53 days in 2020.

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Not to be forgotten, near-record highs in the mid- to upper 90s and heat indexes up to around 110 are likely through the weekend across much of Florida, where many cities are coming off their hottest July on record and are on track for their hottest year. The Weather Service in Miami hoisted a rare excessive-heat warning for most of South Florida through at least Tuesday. In Key West, the heat index has reached 100 degrees or higher on 55 consecutive days, beating the previous longest stretch of 44 days.

The outlook remains hot

Overall, little relief from the heat is expected across the southern tier of the United States during the next two weeks. The Weather Service’s 6- to 10-day and 8- to 14-day outlooks both call for a high likelihood of above-normal temperatures.

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