Blistering triple-digit temperatures across Texas this week have the state rivaling the hottest locations on the planet, including the Sahara Desert and parts of the Persian Gulf.
Texas has for weeks been baking under a severe, early–season heat wave that is now spreading into the Lower Mississippi Valley and parts of the Southeast.
Over the past week, several cities in Texas, including San Angelo and Del Rio, have hit or surpassed 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) — temperatures that are more common at this time of year in parts of northern Africa and the Middle East.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s power grid operator, said power use hit a preliminary all-time high Tuesday as demand for air conditioning spiked, Reuters reported. ERCOT said it expects another record to be set Wednesday.
A stagnant dome of high pressure has fueled dangerous heat and humidity across most of the state, with local officials warning people to take precautions and limit time outdoors.
The extreme temperatures have already taken a toll. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the rate of emergency department visits attributed to heat last week were about 30% higher compared to the same time last year.
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An average of 702 heat-related deaths occur every year in the United States, according to the CDC. The National Weather Service has said that heat causes more deaths across the country each year than any other weather event, including tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.
Brutally hot conditions are expected to persist Wednesday across Texas, with many places experiencing temperatures well into the triple digits.
Meanwhile, around 87 million people across the Midwest and parts of the Northeast are at risk of poor air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
The National Weather Service said in an update early Wednesday that the heat dome is expected to “expand northward into the Middle Mississippi Valley” bringing high temperatures that will not cool off much overnight. Forecasters have said that much of the South will likely experience extreme heat and humidity that will persist through the July 4 holiday.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
