North Texans will not only have the heat, but they will have some “unhealthy air.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Sunday issued a level orange air pollution watch for the Dallas-Fort Worth area for Monday. Ozone levels are expected to reach "unhealthy" on Monday as temperatures head toward the century mark.The year's first day of triple-digit heat in North Texas had been anticipated for several days, and it finally arrived Sunday when the temperature hit 100 at DFW Airport shortly before 5 p.m., the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth reported.The next few days could be just as hot, with 100 expected Monday and Tuesday.The last time the area had a triple-digit temperature day was in September, said Eric Martello, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.Last year's heat was record-breaking, with 71 triple-digit days that began June 13 and 40 consecutive triple-digit days from July through August, Martello said. "This year is not expected to be quite as hot," he said.Besides the hot and dry weather, meteorologists will be keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Debby, Martello said. "The cloud cover from that could help drop the temperature by midweek," he said.Wednesday's expected high is in the upper 90s as is Thursday's. Friday is expected to stay in the upper 90s, Martello said.Susan McFarland, 817-390-7684, Twitter: @susanmcfarland1; Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763, Twitter: @mingoramirezjr.
