Triple-digit highs may be lurking next week

It’s been four days in a row with temperatures significantly above average. Despite the average high temperatures gradually increasing from 84° to 86° by the middle of next week, our actual temperatures will outpace the small average high increase and we could be very close to 100° by the middle of next week. Temperatures this morning are again starting out exceptionally warm in the mid-to-upper 70s with enough humidity to get our heat index close to 80°. Today’s record warmest low temperature is 78°, set in 1933, and we’ll likely drop just below that by daybreak. The morning record should stay safe but the afternoon record likely won’t as morning clouds give way to midday and afternoon sunshine. Highs today will reach the low-to-mid 90s and we are forecasting the Waco Airport sensor to tie the record of 94° set in 1963. The only glimmer of hope is that we’re expecting a small humidity drop from Monday to today so heat index values will likely not reach the century mark.

We’re expecting to see small downward adjustments in humidity as we approach the weekend so that’ll allow morning lows to dip a bit into the 60s and low 70s late week and into the weekend. We’re still expecting some morning clouds with returning midday and afternoon sunshine, but the lower humidity will keep the heat index close to the actual temperatures. We should be in the low-to-mid 90s pretty much every day through the weekend. Starting on Sunday, however, we’re expecting the hot West Texas temperatures to migrate eastward. It’s still about a week away, but the signs are pointing to near 100° heat starting as early as next Monday. Highs near 100° would be record-setting. Record heat has become a bit of a thing for the middle of May. Next Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s record high was set in 2018 and next Thursday’s record high was set way back in 2020. We need rain, we want rain, but rain isn’t coming likely for at least a week and a half and probably longer.

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