Tropical Moisture Could Ease Heat in Parts of Texas

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

August 7,2013; 7:18PM,EDT

 

 

Excessive heat will continue over Texas and much of the South Central states through the end of the week and into the weekend. However, thunderstorms may come to the rescue in a few locations.
Heat is no stranger to the region during the middle of August, but temperatures will continue to flirt with record highs for the next few days, which are 8 to 12 degrees above average.
Typical highs in Dallas during mid-August are in the upper 90s. Most records during this month are on the 105- to 110-degree range. The record Wednesday of 106 degrees set during 1988 was within reach.

Factoring in temperature, humidity, intense sunshine and other conditions, AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures will be in the 110- to 115-degree range for several hours during the afternoon.
For a large part of the region, there are little signs of relief through the weekend with cool air a great distance away to the north.
However, a small part of the region will get temporary relief from the blazing sunshine and heat, by way of clouds and tropical thunderstorm downpours.

Some tropical moisture is forecast to roll in from the Gulf of Mexico reaching coastal areas at the very least. The moisture can also work a couple of hundred miles inland.
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Parts of southern Louisiana can expect thunderstorms Friday and Sunday with coastal and South Texas next in line Friday night into the weekend. Cities most likely to be impacted by this moisture include New Orleans and Lake Charles in Louisiana and Houston, Corpus Christi and Brownsville in Texas.
Farther north, relentless storms affecting the central Plains are likely to roll eastward, rather than dip southward very far. As a result, areas from Dallas to Oklahoma City and Shreveport are likely to have only very spotty thunderstorm activity through the weekend.
Farther west, some moisture over the Four Corners states may try to drift into West Texas and western Oklahoma. However, these storms are likely to be widely separated as well.
While temperatures will continue to average above normal through the weekend and beyond, a few places that get under the downpours can get temporary relief. However, some of these areas can also be hit with flash flooding and travel delays.
After a storm departs a location, the air will be more humid compared to when the storm moved through.
The downpours can bring some localized relief from drought conditions.

A few spots within 100 miles of the coast can pick up a couple of inches of rain from the pattern.