Heat dome moves into Texas with record highs expected
AUSTIN, Texas — A heat dome that has led to almost 90 consecutive days with temperatures above 30 degrees Temperatures in Phoenix moved into Texas on Wednesday, and record temperatures are expected to drop again this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, energy demand in Texas hit an official record high on Tuesday, data from the state’s grid operator showed.
A major heat warning has been issued for Texas, indicating what the weather service described as “rare and/or prolonged extreme heat with little to no nighttime relief.” An extreme heat warning has been issued for eastern New Mexico.
A heat dome is a slow-moving high-pressure area at high altitude with stable air and a deep layer of high temperatures, according to meteorologist Bryan Jackson.
“It’s usually sunny, the sun is out, it’s warm, the air is closed in,” Jackson said. “There are dozens of places that are setting daily records … mostly over Texas.”
Record-high temperatures were expected in cities including Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Amarillo. In Phoenix, monsoon rains have provided a brief respite since Sunday, although daytime temperatures are still above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).
The dome was expected to move into western Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico beginning Saturday and then into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, where it was expected to weaken slightly, Jackson said.
About 14.7 million people are under extreme heat warnings, with heat indexes expected to be 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) and higher. Another 10 million people were under heat warnings.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been 38 heat-related deaths in Texas from January through July, and hundreds have already sought emergency care, according to MedStar Ambulance in Fort Worth, Texas. The agency responded to 286 heat-related calls during the first 20 days of August, about 14 per day, compared with about 11 per day in August 2023, said public information officer Desiree Partain.
Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman said heat-related illness reports in the Texas Capitol area have increased by about one per day since April 1 compared to a year ago, though July this year was slightly milder.
“The vast majority of what we see is heat exhaustion, which is good because we recognize it before it becomes heat stroke, but it’s bad because people don’t listen to the red flags,” such as heat cramps in the arms, legs or stomach that warn the body is getting too hot, Stedman said.
Despite the record heat in Texas, residents have not been asked to reduce their energy consumption as in previous years. That’s in contrast to the 11 conservation notices issued last year. One reason is that the agency, which manages Texas’ independent power grid and deregulated providers, has been boosting the grid’s capacity, adding more than 15 gigawatts of power since last summer.
While the agency has gotten better at managing demand on the grid, the criteria for educating residents about energy conservation have also changed, said Doug Lewin, an energy consultant and president of Stoic Energy.
Lewin suspects that this is because they are ineffective and unpopular.
“I don’t think they’re seeing as much reduction as they’re sending out notices,” Lewin said of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. In fact, public outrage over the conservation warnings has caused the agency to send out fewer of them, he continued.
“There are many factors that ERCOT operations consider when determining the need to issue protective orders, on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances at the time,” said communications manager Trudi Webster on the matter.
“It’s been a hot summer, but this summer stands out in terms of extremes,” said Jackson, the meteorologist.
Earlier this month, around 100 people got sick and 10 were hospitalized due to extreme heat at an air show in Colorado and at least two people died because of the heat in Death Valley National Park in California.
Worldwide is a series of 13 consecutive months with a new average heat record this came to an end last july if the natural El Nino climate pattern has decreased, the European Climate Agency Copernicus announced on Thursday.
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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.