Weather In-Depth: Nothing like a Texas heat wave

So far this summer season, we have had plenty of humidity here in Western New York. But we have not had to deal with the excessive heat – at least just yet.

Where has the hot weather been located? Naturally, it been in the southern states where there are warnings and advisories for extreme heat. The real center point for a lot of the torridness is through central Texas. Some examples include San Antonio, where Monday they reached 105 degrees in the shade! Dallas measured a high temperature of 97 degrees. You may think that is little more reasonable, but when you factor in with the amount of moisture in the atmosphere it is also excessive. Remember, the dew point is a way of measuring moisture and Dallas had a dew point of 79 degrees. That amount of moisture is really “off the charts” compared to what we normally get in Rochester. The heat index (which is a human comfort index) is a combination of the temperature and moisture, and as a result, it felt more like 116 degrees. This extreme Texas heat has been caused by a heat dome, which is weather pattern that has not moved for several weeks.

Personally, I am not sure if I could survive that amount of heat and I am hoping I do not have to find out anytime soon. Thank goodness for air conditioning.