Houston weather: Excessive heat warning as dangerous heatwave intensifies

HOUSTON - Houston has been placed under an Excessive Heat Warning for the first time since August 2016!

This warning is rare and warns us that areawide we could feel heat index values as high as 115° both today and Saturday.

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Everyone is urged to stay indoors in the air conditioning as much as possible and limit strenuous activity outdoors. The heat wave is showing no signs of letting up for Father's Day or Juneteenth.

When a strong area of high pressure parks over an area, strong to severe storms tend to follow a path around the high in a clockwise direction. As we've seen this week, tornadoes, large hail and high winds have hit from the Texas Panhandle to North Texas, all the way to Florida with intense sunshine in South Texas.

There is a slight chance for a rogue line of storms to zip by the Houston area each of the next several days, but they would be brief with the main threat being high winds.  Otherwise, the heat will continue for at least a week and could even get more intense by the end of the month!

Residents will need to take heat precautions like drinking lots of water and staying inside with air conditioning. It is also recommended that you wear light, loose clothing and avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day.

This will help you avoid the impact of heat-related illnesses like exhaustion and heat stroke.

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It is important to remember to not leave pets or children inside vehicles during hot weather. The temperature inside a closed car can rise to a deadly 143 degrees within an hour.

Friday's record high for Houston is 100 degrees which has been on the record books for over a century. Saturday's record high of 100 was set back in 2011. Residents can expect a lot of sunshine over the next week which also means extreme UV index values. Father's Day will be dangerously hot, so it is advised that you take precautions if you have any outdoor plans. On the bright side, the heat dome will keep away tropical storm activity for at least the next week.

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