Sustainability Climate Change

Highest temperatures of the year hit Texas and southern plains states

Places in Texas have almost reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit as a record-setting heat wave moves across the country. 
heat wave labor day weekend west coast southwest united states us national weather service NWS excessive heat warning california wildfires coronavirus spread cooling centers arizona utah nevada triple digits burn scorch
Power lines in Los Angeles, California on September 3, 2020, ahead of a heatwave to arrive September 4 through the Labour Day weekend prompting a statewide flex alert. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Story at a glance


  • The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued heat warnings and advisories for most of Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, along with large parts of other southern states.

  • Daytime temperatures are expected to reach the triple digit,s with some areas predicted to hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 

  • Dry conditions and gusty winds have prompted the NWS to issue Red Flag Warnings for Texas and some other states. 

Texas and other plains states are getting some of the hottest weather of the summer this week.  

Residents in Texas have been asked to conserve water as scorching temperatures have already reached northwestern parts of the state. In Fort Worth, temperatures reached a sweltering 109 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, the hottest any part of the state has been the entire year.  

The National Weather Service has issued heat warnings and advisories for most of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas and large parts of states in the lower Mississippi valley, affecting more than 100 million people.  


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Daytime temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees across most of the region and as high as 110 in some parts, the agency said.

The extreme heat coupled with low humidity and gusty winds are placing swaths of states at higher risk for fires. As firefighters work to put out 85 blazes across the country, the agency has issued Red Flag warnings for Texas, western Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming.  

Pockets of the northeast in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts are also under heat advisories with the extreme heat expected to reach more of the eastern part of the country on Wednesday, according to the agency.  

Europe and the United Kingdom are also seeing record-setting temperatures as a historic heat wave consumes the continent. On Tuesday, Great Britain recorded a temperature of 40.2. Celsius — or 104.4 Fahrenheit — a first for the country.  

Scientists have long warned about the effects of climate change. In a 2022 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, increasing global temperatures stemming from human-induced climate change will cause more heat waves and longer summers.  


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