Another record day with high temperatures The Dallas/Fort Worth area saw a slight cooling trend on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, as heat warnings stretch from the Gulf Coast to the U.S. southeast and upper-central South.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the region reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius), beating the previous record for that date, set in 2011, by four degrees.
The heat dome that has hovered over the state since June is expected to move out of the area soon, according to Weather Service meteorologist Ted Ryan.
Excessive heat warnings were in place for much of East Texas, most of Louisiana and Mississippi, and parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and the Florida Panhandle.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has asked the state’s 30 million residents five times this summer to voluntarily reduce their power consumption, as high temperatures are causing high electricity demands.
According to its website, ERCOT has reached record power demand ten times since June.
The historic heat wave also extended to parts of Mississippi and Louisiana.
Peak heat index values of 48.3°C and 48.9°C are expected across the area.
In Mississippi, the city of Jackson remained on an excessive heat warning as temperatures were expected to peak at 103 degrees F (39.4 C) on Saturday. City officials said the high temperatures are taking a toll on the city’s water system, as an additional 4 million gallons of water are pumped through the system each day. JXN Water encourages residents to reduce their water consumption to help conserve water.
Meanwhile, Louisiana was on a statewide excessive heat warning and fire ban as critical fire weather conditions continued.
“This is the hottest summer on record,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Phil Grigsby in Louisiana.
As of Friday, the area has recorded a heat index — the perceived temperature — above 105 degrees F (40.6) for 55 days since June 1, Grigsby said.
Slightly cooler temperatures are expected for the Dallas area, which had nine days of record temperatures before Saturday.
“There’s going to be a front coming down here, the high is only 103 degrees (Sunday),” Ryan said, laughing. “But Monday and Tuesday’s highs are going to be in the mid-90s, which is about normal … 95 is going to feel pretty good for a lot of us.”
Ryan said highs above 100C are likely not over yet as September temperatures would likely be above that level.
Grigsby said there were also signs of temporary relief in neighboring Louisiana.
“We’re going to see a cold front moving down over the area,” Grigsby said, as the tropical depression heads toward Florida. “That will push temperatures down from 100 to 105 degrees to the more typical temperatures we’re used to in August in the lower 90 degrees.”
