An early-season heat wave will bring record temperatures to the Southwest and Texas

In a series of posts on X, the weather service office in San Antonio warned that many people will not be acclimated to such extreme heat so early in the year, increasing the risk of heat-related illness and death.

“Temperatures are forecast to surge above 100 Tuesday, and some places could approach 110 midweek. Ensure you have access to cooling and plentiful hydration before the heat arrives,” the office wrote on X.

As the week progresses, heat will build in the central and the southern Plains and expand through the Southeast and into Florida.

Cities that could set new daily temperature records this week include Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston in Texas; Oklahoma City; Shreveport, Louisiana; Charleston, South Carolina; and Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando in Florida.

The unseasonably hot temperatures are caused by a strong high-pressure ridge parked over much of the country and centered over Texas. These kinds of “heat domes” essentially trap hot air over a region, sometimes driving up temperatures for days on end.

Southern California saw record highs over the weekend, with temperatures peaking at 103 in downtown Los Angeles, breaking a record of 99 set in 1988, according to the weather service.

Climate change is increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of heat waves around the world, studies have shown. Scientists are anticipating a hot summer again this year, after two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) that shattered global temperature records.

The back-to-back broken records are part of an alarming warming trend that has long been predicted by climate change models. The planet’s 10 hottest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.