More than 1.9 million people in Texas are under Excessive Heat Warnings as a record-breaking heat wave continues for its second week in the Lone Star State.
The historic heat wave has sent temperatures soaring into the 110s, with more than 14 all-time record highs set over the past two weeks and 30 new records for daily high temperatures.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, some areas across East Texas will get a brief break from the most extreme heat on Thursday, but Central and West Texas remain dangerously hot. More daily record highs are expected to be broken again Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued Excessive Heat Warnings for South Texas, where dangerously hot conditions are expected with heat index values between 116 and 121 degrees.
Heat Advisories have been issued for 18 million people, including across West and Central Texas and southern New Mexico.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking long-range forecast models indicating the overall pattern leading to this extreme heat will linger into early July. What makes this especially dangerous is the number of consecutive days with heat indices close to or above 100 degrees.
With more than 30 records broken during the first part of the heat wave, more record-high temperatures could be broken this weekend.
San Angelo, Texas, set new all-time high-temperature records two days in a row this week. According to the National Weather Service, San Angelo tied its all-time record high temperature of 111 degrees Monday. Then on Tuesday, the San Angelo Airport reached 114 degrees setting a new all-time high-temperature record, which was tied the very next day.
Seven Texas cities broke temperature records Monday alone, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Rio Grande Village, Texas, reached 118 degrees Tuesday, nearing an all-time high temperature for the entire state. It was just two degrees shy of the state temperature record set in 1994.
South and West Texas will see potentially record-breaking high temperatures Friday, with at least four cities forecast to see temps sore above 100 degrees.
Friday into Saturday, the scorching temperatures return to East Texas. Highs will jump back to near 100-110 degrees and heat indices will soar to near 120 degrees.
As the heat wave wears on, the risk of heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, becomes more likely.
Without a break from the heat, the body doesn’t have time to recover and even though Texans are used to hot summers, the Lone Star State doesn’t usually see these hot and humid temperatures so early in the season.
Earlier in the week Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, issued a Weather Watch and asked residents to voluntarily converse power.
“Due to the voluntary conservation efforts by Texas residents & businesses, along with additional reliability tools, ERCOT was able to get through a tight peak time yesterday with no grid reliability issues,” ERCOT tweeted on Thursday.
ERCOT opted not to extend the watch into the weekend because enough customers conserved power, and the council does not forecast any demand issues into the weekend.