Temperatures are expected to climb across parts of southern Texas, as well as California and the desert Southwest this week, where around 22 million people are under heat alerts in the first significant heat event of the season.
Across Texas, high heat combined with high humidity will lead to temperatures that feel as hot as 115 degrees. Abilene, San Antonio and Brownsville are cities that could set record highs and see dangerous humidity. Texas can also expect severe storms this week, including a couple of reports of 6-inch hailstones in the Panhandle.
In the West, the hottest days of the week will be Tuesday to Friday, with temperatures expected to soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This will lead to numerous record highs for cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Albuquerque and Reno. On Thursday, Las Vegas heat has a 77% chance of hitting 110 degrees -- if it happens, it'll tie the earliest 110 degrees on record, which is June 6, 2010, according to the National Weather Service field office in Las Vegas.
"Excessive Heat Warnings are in effect for the central valley region of California while Excessive Heat Watches are in effect for parts of the Desert Southwest," the National Weather Service said in an update. "Extreme HeatRisk is probable to continue for much of southern Texas through Wednesday. This level of heat risk means that there will likely be little to no overnight relief for those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration."
Over the weekend, a grass fire named Corral Fire was sparked by high winds in San Joaquin County, California, near the city of Tracy. It has burned just more than 14,000 acres and is 50% contained.
The good news is that there are currently no fire alerts out for California, as the winds have since died down.
With the heat expected to rise this week, however, that will keep wildfire concerns high, especially for inland areas away from the coast.
In just the past week, destructive hail of 4 to 6 inches in diameter has slammed portions of the Texas Panhandle, and the Denver metro area endured its worst hailstorm since 2017. The Denver hailstorm last Thursday night may end up becoming the next billion-dollar disaster this year.
On Sunday, there were numerous reports of 5-inch hailstones across Texas, including a couple of reports of 6-inch hailstones in the Panhandle. While this isn't a state record (6.40 inches fell in 2021), this is another day this year with large hail reported across the country. There have been 3,479 severe hail reports so far this year, which is the fourth-most to date, and the most since 2017.
While this is exactly the time of year it would be expected to see large hail in these regions, the changing climate could be playing a role in the frequency, intensity and size of hail experienced during these spring and summer hailstorms.
A line of strong storms was advancing through southeast Oklahoma on Monday afternoon as scattered showers and storms developed over other parts of the Tennessee Valley. Around 16 million people remain in the risk zone through Monday night for severe weather, including southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, as well as areas in the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley.
The most intense storms are likely to develop Monday evening and continue into late in the evening across the South. Cities that could be affected include Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas; Oklahoma City; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
As of Monday, there had been a few reports of large hail in eastern Oklahoma. Large hail remained the greatest threat, along with storms and strong winds.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for parts of northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northern Louisiana until 8 p.m. CT.
