About 120 record-high temperatures in parts of at least 13 states are expected to be connected or interrupted from Friday to Tuesday, with heat indices combining temperature and humidity to predict what it will feel like – close to 110 degrees for some.
Some of the hottest weather will be felt in west central Texas, including the city of San Angelo. Texas is no stranger to burning temperatures, but the heat in early May usually means the mid-80s, not over 100.
“It’s very rare to have a heat wave that looks so extreme in early May. It’s usually the kind of heat we see in July or August,” said Stephen Harrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Angelo. .
The maximum values in San Angelo are expected to rise between 103 and 105 degrees, almost 20 degrees above the seasonal average and rival records, which are from the 20s of last century.
Add moisture and you will feel closer to 110 degrees every afternoon. Much of the state will be baking at 90 to 100 degrees Celsius and will feel even hotter this weekend.
NWS meteorologist Matthew Brady warns that given the extreme heat indices, limiting outdoor exposure is paramount this Mother’s Day weekend.
“Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible during such a heat wave, so staying hydrated, staying in the shade and reducing your outdoor exposure is a must if you plan to be outdoors this weekend,” said Brady, who is. based in Austin, Texas.
“When the heat comes so early in the year, people aren’t usually acclimatized, so there’s always a risk of heat-related illness, especially during such a long event,” Harrison told CNN.
Historically, heat waves have been the deadliest weather disaster in the United States, causing nearly 150 deaths a year, more than hurricanes and tornadoes combined.
The widespread heat in Texas has already prompted employees to prepare for higher power demand.
The Texas Electricity Reliability Council (ERCOT) said Wednesday it has asked power plants to postpone outages and return from outages that are already underway “to serve Texas this weekend.”
According to the statement, ERCOT will implement all available tools for reliable grid management and designs that there will be enough production to meet the demand for electricity.
The council was scrutinized after record lows in February 2021 caused the country to see its highest demand for electricity and more than 200 people died during the electricity crisis, with hypothermia being the most common cause of death.
The next few days are not just hot in Texas. Parts of the Southwest, Plains, South and Midwest are also expected from summer temperatures.
More than 50 record high temperatures are expected on Saturday and Sunday from the far west, such as Albuquerque, New Mexico, and east to New Orleans.
Check out your high temperatures this weekend
From Monday to Tuesday, the record heat spread farther north and east, affecting St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville and Indianapolis. Up to 70 additional records could be leveled or broken early next week as temperatures range between the top 80 and the low 90.
The heat will only make the drought worse
Excessive heat will add insult to injuries to those battling an early fire season and will continue to exacerbate already severe drought conditions.
Extreme to extreme drought – the two worst categories – in both Texas and New Mexico, has expanded significantly in recent weeks and is likely to continue with the upcoming heat wave.
“This weekend, the heat wave will only deepen the drought, as higher temperatures continue to evaporate some of the moisture left in the soil,” said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. “Drought and heat waves often go hand in hand with positive feedback, as land areas tend to have less cloud cover and lower humidity, which can make heat waves more likely.
Nearly a quarter of Texas is now in extreme drought – the heaviest category – the largest area in the state since 2014.
“It was really bad, it’s our wet time of the year and we’re still not getting the torrential rains we need. There is a lot of dry fuel around and the extreme heat this weekend will only exacerbate the problem, “Harrison told CNN.
New Mexico recorded the largest increase in the two worst categories of drought in the past week, adding more than 14,000 square miles, almost twice as much as New Jersey.
New Mexico, battling the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire – the biggest fire to date in 2022 – has seen more land burned so far in 2022 than in the last two full years combined.
The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon alone has burned more than 165,000 acres – now the second largest in the state’s history.
Although weather conditions from the fire improved slightly on Thursday, a new round of gusty winds, combined with extreme heat, will pose a high fire risk in much of the area over the weekend and early next week.
The Northwest has the opposite problem
Seattle and Portland, Oregon, are experiencing one of the coldest and wettest springs in history.
The latter conditions were in stark contrast to what happened in the Northwest Pacific last spring and summer.
By this time last year, Seattle had already registered nine days with over 70 degrees, on the way to one of its hottest summers in history, with a historic heat wave that shattered temperatures of all time in late June.
In contrast, April 2022 became the third coldest in 45 years in Seattle, with an average high of just 47.1 degrees. This is much less than your normal monthly maximum of about 60 degrees.
The city managed to catch up with its coldest April temperature of all time on April 13, the cold 44 degrees, and managed to reach the 60-degree mark in just five days, well below the 11-day average.
Portland didn’t do much better. The city recorded its only wettest April in history, counting nearly six inches of rainfall for the month – almost doubling the average for April.
The city recorded at least some rainfall in 25 of the 30 days in April, with a surplus of 125% -200% of normal for many in the region. This was in stark contrast to April 2021, when Portland managed to drop just 0.39 inches of rainfall for the month, marking the driest April in history.
CNN’s Rebecca Rees and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.
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