HOUSTON – Summer doesn’t officially start until next week, but extreme heat was already at home in Texas on Friday, with temperatures above triple digits in many cities.
Excessive heat watches or heat advisories have been issued for much of Texas, including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Laredo and San Antonio, according to the National Weather Service. Some of the cities with triple-digit highs Friday included Austin, Del Rio, Junction, Laredo and San Angelo.
Houston’s excessive heat advisory was the first issued for the city in nearly seven years. Friday’s temperature in Houston reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index of 111 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature in Corpus Christi was also 95 degrees Friday afternoon, but its heat index rose to 119 degrees. The heat index values take into account temperature and relative humidity and indicate how hot it is outside.
“We see these temperatures most summers. What’s different about this particular heat episode is that it’s earlier than we normally see,” said Tim Cady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston/Galveston.
Cady said the excessive heat is being caused by a “really persistent ridge of high pressure” sitting over the south-central United States.
“It could take until next week to see any relief,” he said.
Earlier this week, the City of Houston activated its public health emergency heat plan, which includes all city libraries and multi-service centers serving as cooling centers on weekdays and Saturdays.
“We all know that Houston can sometimes get uncomfortably hot in the summer. I want everyone to understand that this forecast of heat and humidity is dangerous and life-threatening for some of our vulnerable Houstonians,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said this week.
Authorities in other cities, such as Austin, Corpus Christi and Laredo, have also opened refrigeration centers for their residents.
“Anyone ready for winter yet?” the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi said in a tweet Friday.
While many Texans dealt with the heat, others in the Texas Panhandle city of Perryton continued to clean up Friday after a tornado ripped through their community.
Earlier this week, the Texas Electric Reliability Board, which operates the state’s power grid, issued a weather alert, letting residents know that the temperatures were expected to cause high demand for electricity.
As of Friday afternoon, power grid conditions were normal and there was enough power for current demand, according to ERCOT.
The power grid operator has come under scrutiny since a deadly winter blackout in February 2021 left more than 4 million people without power in freezing temperatures.
With the Juneteenth holiday weekend long, Cady said people should take precautions during dangerous heat, including avoiding strenuous activities during the day, wearing light clothing and drinking plenty of fluids.
“We’re emphasizing heat safety this weekend,” Cady said.
