Texas Heat Dome Takes Over: Triple-Digit Heat All Week [AgbMBuLzdID]
A heat dome is settling over Texas, bringing widespread triple-digit temperatures, very warm nights, little meaningful rain, and a growing grass-fire concern through the rest of July. That is pretty much the forecast: heat, heat, and a little extra heat for flavor. High pressure over Texas will keep most thunderstorms away this week. Rain may fall west, north, and east of the state while most of us receive jack-diddly-squat. Monday afternoon temperatures will reach the triple digits across most of Texas, including readings near 105° in Amarillo and around 107° from Dalhart toward Childress. Where temperatures remain below 100°, humidity may still push the heat index into the triple digits. The overnight hours will not provide much relief. Most communities will only fall into the middle and upper 70s or lower 80s. Dallas may remain near 84° early Thursday morning, which is simply rude. Those warm nights increase the risk of heat-related illness, especially for: • People without reliable air conditioning • Older adults • Young children • Outdoor workers • Anyone working or exercising for long periods • Pets and livestock Recent rainfall temporarily increased humidity across parts of Texas. As the ground dries, humidity may decrease somewhat—but afternoon temperatures can climb even higher. The rapid drying is also increasing the grass-fire risk. Please use extra caution with welding, mowing, dragging trailer chains, parking vehicles over dry grass, or operating equipment that can produce sparks. Rain chances remain slim for most of Texas through Friday. An isolated storm cannot be ruled out in far West Texas, the Big Bend, the Panhandle, or near the Red River and Northeast Texas. There is at least a little hope heading toward the weekend. The heat dome may shift west toward California, Nevada, and the southwestern United States. That could allow a weak front to reach portions of eastern Texas, bringing slightly lower temperatures and a few showers or thunderstorms. This would not be a fall preview. It may simply make the weather slightly less disrespectful. Until then: • Drink plenty of water • Take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning • Check on vulnerable family members and neighbors • Never leave children or pets inside a vehicle • Limit strenuous outdoor work during the hottest hours • Be careful with anything that could ignite dry grass Interactive Texas radar: Forecasts, alerts, interactive radar, and video updates are also available through the free Texas Storm Chasers mobile app. Video chapters: 0:00 Heat, heat and more heat 0:29 Texas forecast in one sentence 0:59 Heat dome settles over Texas 1:43 Any relief by the weekend? 2:20 Almost no rain this week 3:23 Triple-digit temperatures take over 3:58 Grass-fire risk increases 4:27 Warm nights provide little relief 6:22 Bottom line for the week #texasweather #TexasHeat #TexasStormChasers