Unforgiving heat wave in Texas and Southern Plains to worsen next week – The Washington Post

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple

The temperatures in Texas and the Southern Plains are about to be turned up during an already historically hot summer.

Next week, some areas of interior Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas may see their highest temperatures yet, with predicted highs peaking between 102 to 107 degrees.

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The core of the heat may concentrate along and just west of the populous Interstate 35 corridor, affecting San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Wichita.

The heat will ratchet up just days after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) twice issued conservation appeals (Monday and Wednesday), its power supply pushed to the brink. The state’s beleaguered grid is sure to be tested again.

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The heat will also worsen an intensifying drought over much of the Lone Star State, which has rapidly expanded into eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

The extreme heat, exacerbated by human-caused climate change, shows little sign of relenting through at least the end of July even as it waxes and wanes every few days.

How hot will it get and for how long?
The American modeling system shows a sprawling heat dome over the western and central United States on July 20. (WeatherBell)

Predictability is “high” for widespread heat in the central states between Sunday and Wednesday, the Weather Service writes. And it has declared a moderate to high risk of excessive heat as far out as the end of July.

Computer models show a heat dome or sprawling zone of high pressure centered near the Four Corners flexing eastward and not really budging for the next one to two weeks. The sinking air beneath these heat domes clears the air of clouds and allows the sun to beat down relentlessly.

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The same areas underneath this heat dome are also affected by the expanding and worsening drought. The dry ground, sapped of moisture, heats up particularly fast.

U.S. Drought Monitor as of July 14.

Triple-digit highs are forecast for most of the area from Texas to Kansas through the weekend, before the hottest conditions arrive Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s when many areas along and just west of Interstate 35 could see highs close to 105 degrees — and possibly higher in some locations.

Some of this heat will also bleed into northern Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri at times.
Here are current forecast highs for seven cities expected to see highs reach at least 100:
  • San Antonio — Sunday: 103 | Monday: 102 | Tuesday: 102 | Wednesday: 103
  • Austin — Sunday: 103 | Monday: 103 | Tuesday: 102 | Wednesday: 104
  • Dallas — Sunday: 103 | Monday: 103 | Tuesday: 103 | Wednesday: 105
  • Oklahoma City — Sunday: 102 | Monday: 102 | Tuesday: 105 | Wednesday: 104
  • Wichita — Sunday: 97 | Monday: 100 | Tuesday: 104 | Wednesday: 103
  • Little Rock — Sunday: 94 | Monday: 94 | Tuesday: 98 | Wednesday: 100
  • Kansas City, Mo. — Sunday: 92 | Monday: 96 | Tuesday: 101 | Wednesday: 100

Computer models project temperatures could be several degrees hotter than this — flirting with 110 degrees in some places — but have shown a bias of being a bit too hot in their long-range forecasts.