Dangerous heat! Heat soars from the Southwest to Florida

It’s a dangerously hot week for many parts of the southern half of the United States. South Florida will continue with their hot stretch, which expands for over a week, while the Southwest and Texas continue another wave of extreme temperatures as mid-level high pressure intensifies. As forecast on Monday, the heat is building for the Southwest and West.

Summary:

Let’s start with the heat across the Southwest and Texas. A high-pressure system in the middle levels of the atmosphere is starting to build, so we expect the most intense heat to come within the next 3 days. Nearly 200 counties in Texas (out of 254 in total) are under a heat advisory. Actual temperatures will rise to triple digits but with the humidity, it could feel as hot as 112F, for some. These are life-threatening conditions for some, especially for the elderly, kids and those with medical conditions.

It’s important to highlight that although the most intense heat will be happening through Wednesday, there will be plenty of dangerous heat still present through the end of the week across the Southwest and then over the West through the weekend as the high will be retracting west-northwestward.

As forecast on Monday, much of the Southwest and California woke up to excessive heat warnings and watches in effect as the high-pressure system in the middle levels of the atmosphere starts to retract to the west. This will be the beginning of a long stretch of extremely hot temperatures that will just grab a tighter grip and expand its reach.

Sneak-peek: This same high will linger across the same general area, expanding the week of July 17 across much of the western half of the U.S. Expect temperatures to be dangerously hot from the western central Plains, through the Rockies to the West coast.

This week, temperatures are abnormally hot across the western mountains of Texas, where elevations above 5200 feet could be at or above 100F. It is possible that excessive heat warnings could be issued.

Much of Texas and the southern fringe of New Mexico have heat advisories in effect. Major cities such as San Antonio, Austin, and Houston could experience heat indices of at least 106 degrees. This is asides from actual temperatures in the triple digits.

There will be a few storms developing in the afternoon across North Texas and one or two could migrate toward the Waco-Austin region. The rest of Texas will remain with mostly sunny skies courtesy of the sinking air, bringing stable conditions.

These temperatures will not help the worsening drought over much of Texas. The San Antonio area is under extreme drought conditions, and severe drought is currently affecting Travis County and westward.

South Florida and interior areas of west Florida are also under a heat advisory. Temperatures will feel as hot as 110F for some. For Miami, there have been 15 daily peak temperature records broken since January 1 and 7 of them have occurred since June 1. (Miami also is having its hottest year on record so far).

Make sure to avoid outdoor activities during the peak hours of the day, usually between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Stay hydrated throughout the day, do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Eat light meals, they digest easier and allow our bodies to work less. Take frequent breaks in A/C if you work outdoors.