These Seven States Face Deadly Temperatures As Texas Heat Wave Spreads

After temperatures reached record heights in Texas this month, where a deadly heat wave has entered its third week, seven more U.S. states are expected to face accelerated high temperatures, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The heat wave is the first to hit Texas this year, after 2022 brought record-breaking temperatures soaring past 100 degrees. But a number of records have already been broken across the state in the past couple of weeks, with Corpus Christi hitting a blistering 125 degrees Fahrenheit, Del Rio reporting 115 and Cotulla reaching 116.

Temperatures in the state have been particularly stifling as high levels of moisture in the air, due to a wetter spring than usual, contributed to make it feel even hotter.

People in the state have been asked to voluntarily reduce their air conditioning consumption to avoid putting excessive pressure on the Texas power grid, which is already being tested by a sudden surge in demand.

By the middle of this week, temperatures in Texas are likely to reach over 100 degrees again in certain places, with the NWS expecting them to possibly break records in portions of the state. No relief from the heat is expected overnight—a factor which could contribute to deadly heat exhaustion.

The warmest day of the week, "and hopefully for a while," said a report by NWS Austin/San Antonio, should be Tuesday. While temperatures will continue being above normal levels from Wednesday through Saturday, the thermometer "is likely to drop a few degrees in most places."

More than 40 million people were under a heat alert as scorching temperatures continued in states like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida over the past weekend.

The oppressive heat wave engulfing Texas is now expected to expand north and east into the Plains, the Midwest, and lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday, according to the NWS, hitting seven states including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, parts of New Mexico and Arizona.

On Tuesday, temperatures in southeastern Arizona through southern New Mexico and into Texas are expected to remain in the triple digits, while temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s will spread northward into the Central Plains and Middle to Lower Missouri Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

The wave of record heat across the South is expected to continue through Independence Day, July 4.

High temperatures in Texas have already caused several deaths, including that of two workers—a lineman and a postman—and a father and son who were hiking in Big Bend National Park as temperatures reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday.

According to NWS, heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the country, causing hundreds of deaths each year. The agency recommends to slow down outdoor activities during a heatwave and minimize direct exposure to the sun, drink plenty of water and cooling down.