Texas Stays Scorching—But Changes Are Coming

Texas remains firmly planted in the dog days of summer, with widespread triple-digit heat today through Friday and some very warm nights mixed in for extra disrespect. The good news—using that phrase somewhat loosely—is that changes may arrive this weekend. The heat dome over Texas will strengthen but shift west toward Arizona, Nevada and California. That may allow a weak northerly flow and a not-as-hot front to move into portions of Texas this weekend and early next week. No, this is not a fall cold front. Nobody is breaking out a jacket. It may be enough to knock temperatures down several degrees across parts of North, Northeast and East Texas while introducing isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms. Before then, most of Texas stays hot and mainly dry. Today’s limited rain chances include: • An isolated sea-breeze storm in Southeast Texas or the Golden Triangle • A few thunderstorms across the Panhandle and West Texas • Very little meaningful rain for most other Texans Thursday afternoon and evening may bring a few stronger storms to the northwestern Panhandle, mainly from about 4 PM through 10 or 11 PM. Localized damaging wind gusts and heavy rain are possible. Additional Panhandle storm chances continue Friday. By Saturday, isolated heavy rain may shift toward the Guadalupe Mountains, Trans-Pecos and far West Texas. The weekend front may produce a few storms across portions of: • North Texas • Northeast and East Texas • Central Texas • The Hill Country • Brazos Valley • Panhandle and West Texas This does not currently look like a widespread rain event. Most locations only have around a 20–30% chance of receiving a storm. Any storm that does develop can produce lightning, brief heavy rain and localized damaging wind gusts. When thunder roars, get your keister indoors. Temperatures remain the main story through Friday. Wednesday highs include: • 102° around DFW • 100° in Austin and San Antonio • 104° around Amarillo and Pampa • 105° near Childress and Laredo • 104° in El Paso • Around 100° in Houston Friday could be the hottest day, with temperatures near 105–107° around DFW, Wichita Falls, Vernon, Quanah and Childress. Overnight temperatures will also remain unusually warm. Dallas may only fall to around 84° Friday morning, while many communities across East and Southeast Texas remain in the lower 80s. That lack of nighttime cooling increases the risk of heat-related illness, especially for anyone without reliable air conditioning. By Sunday, temperatures may fall into the lower 90s around Paris and Texarkana and the upper 90s around DFW. Most other areas will remain in the upper 90s or triple digits. Less hot does not mean cool. This is still August in Texas. No tropical mischief or major severe-weather setup is currently on the horizon. We may see some elevated wildfire smoke drift into Texas this weekend or early next week, potentially creating hazy skies and minor visibility reductions. Stay cool, stay hydrated and keep an eye on weekend trends. Video chapters: 0:00 Another hot day—but changes may be coming 0:48 Current Texas heat and cloud cover 1:16 Isolated storm chances today and Thursday 2:01 Panhandle severe and flooding potential 3:03 Why the heat dome shifts west 4:17 Weekend front and scattered storms 5:08 Today’s temperatures and very warm nights 6:16 Thursday and Friday heat peaks 7:35 Weekend temperatures turn less hot 9:12 No tropical trouble—but smoke may arrive #TexasWeather #TexasHeat #TexasStormChasers