Texas Breaks Temperature Records Despite Triple-Digit Forecasts; Oklahoma remains under tornado threat

KEN MILLER, Associated Press

14 minutes ago

A person crosses Caroline Street in the heat of the afternoon on Saturday, May 25, 2024, near Discovery Green in downtown Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Scattered severe storms continued across parts of Oklahoma Saturday with the risk of possible tornadoes lasting late into the night, as parts of South Texas broke heat records and that people were warned of triple-digit temperatures over the long holiday weekend. .

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, although the season doesn’t officially begin until four weeks later.

The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, likened Saturday to “a pile of gasoline-soaked brush.” Forecasters said any storm that forms could explode with large hail, dangerous winds and tornadoes.

“There is a small chance that most matches will be missed and we only see a few storms today. Still, it’s not a matchup I’d want to play. It only takes one storm to have an impact,” the office said via Facebook.

Excessive heat, especially in May, poses a danger in South Texas, where the heat index is expected to approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some locations over the weekend. Actual temperatures will be lower, although still in the triple digit range, but the humidity will make it feel even hotter.

The region is at the northern end of a heat dome that stretches from Mexico to South America, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Sunday looks to be the warmest day with record highs for the late May forecast for Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio, Taylor said.

Brownsville and Harlingen, near the Texas-Mexico border, already set new records Saturday for the May 25 date – 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), respectively – ​​according to the weather service.

Red Flag fire warnings were also in place in West Texas, throughout New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado. Humidity was very low, less than 10%, and wind gusts of up to 97 km/h were recorded.

“We have very dry air, warm temperatures and strong winds creating a high fire risk over a large area … which can lead to rapid spread or uncontrollable fires,” Taylor said.

Meanwhile, several inches of snow fell Friday morning in Rolla, North Dakota, about 10 miles from the Canadian border.

April and May were a busy month for tornadoes, especially in the Midwest. Climate change is increasing the severity of storms around the world.

In April, the United States recorded the second highest number of tornadoes on record. So far for 2024, the country is already 25% ahead of the average number of tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman.

Iowa was hit hard this week, when a deadly tornado devastated Greenfield. And other storms caused flooding and wind damage elsewhere in the state.

The storm system causing the severe weather was expected to move east as the Memorial Day weekend continued, bringing rain that could delay Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 race in Indiana and more severe storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

The risk of severe weather shifts to North Carolina and Virginia on Monday, forecasters said.