Texas and the Southwest are experiencing a scorching heat wave

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Summer heat has scorched Texas and the Southwest this week, pushing Phoenix to nearly 90 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures and putting millions under extreme heat warnings.

Meanwhile, power demand in Texas hit an unofficial high on Tuesday, according to data from the state’s grid operator.

A major heat alert is in effect for Texas, reflecting what the weather service called “infrequent and/or prolonged extreme heat with little or no relief overnight.” An extreme heat warning has been issued for eastern New Mexico.

This high-pressure area, sometimes called a heat dome, is an upper-level high-pressure system with stable air and a deep layer of high temperatures, meteorologist Bryan Jackson said.

“It’s usually sunny, the sun is beating down, it’s warm and the air is contained there,” Jackson said. “There are about a dozen sites setting daily records … mostly in Texas.”

Record temperatures were expected in cities such as Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Amarillo. In Phoenix, monsoon rains have offered brief respites since Sunday, although daytime highs continue to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

The dome was expected to move into western Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico starting Saturday, then into the mid-Mississippi Valley, where it was forecast to weaken slightly, Jackson said.

About 14.7 million people are under an excessive heat warning, with heat indices expected to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) and higher. Another 10 million people were under a heat advisory.

In Fort Worth, Texas, hundreds in August sought emergency care because of the heat, according to MedStar Ambulance. The service responded to 286 heat-related calls in the first 20 days of August, about 14 per day, compared to about 11 per day in August 2023, according to public information officer Desiree Partain.

Austin-Travis County EMS Capt. Christa Stedman said heat-related illness calls in the area around the Texas State Capitol since April 1 have increased by about one a day compared to a year ago, although July was a little softer this year.

“The vast majority of what we see is heat exhaustion, which is good because we catch it before heat stroke, but it’s bad because people don’t listen to red flags,” such as heat cramps in the arms, legs or stomach warnings that the body gets too hot, Stedman said.

Despite the record heat in Texas, residents were not asked to cut back on energy use as in previous years. This contrasts with the 11 conservation notices issued last year. One reason is that the agency, which manages Texas’ independent power grid and deregulated providers, has improved grid capabilities to better control supply and demand, said Doug Lewin, energy consultant and president of Stoic Energy.

However, the Texas Electric Reliability Council’s criteria for when to notify residents to conserve energy have also changed, Lewin said, because they are ineffective and unpopular.

“I don’t think I see that much of a discount when they give notice,” Lewin said of ERCOT. In fact, the public outcry against conservation warnings has caused the agency to send fewer of them, he continued.

“There are many factors that ERCOT operations consider when determining the need for a conservation release on a case-by-case basis based on the conditions at the time,” Communications Manager Trudi Webster said on the matter.

“It’s been a hot summer, but this one stands out in terms of extremes,” said Jackson, the meteorologist.

Earlier this month, about 100 people became ill and 10 were hospitalized due to extreme heat at an air show in Colorado, and at least two people died from the heat in California’s Death Valley National Park.

Globally, a streak of 13 consecutive months with a new average heat record ended last July as the natural El Nino climate pattern abated, the European climate agency Copernicus said on Thursday.

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