Why is it so humid in North Texas right now, and is that why the heat index hit 116?
Texas is known for its hot summers, but recording over 110 degrees on the heat index this early? Now that’s unusual.
It was a scorcher in North Texas over the Juneteenth holiday weekend with temperatures in the high 90’s and high humidity. The heat index reached 116 degrees in North Texas on Monday, the last time that happened was on June 28, 1980, according to NBC 5.
While the heat index is typically high during Texas summers, having it occur this early is unusual, said Sarah Barnes, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
“Usually we don’t see this kind of heat start to play, until a little bit later in the summer,” Barnes said.
Why has it been so humid this early in summer?
A weak wind is to blame for the high humidity in North Texas.
Southerly winds at the surface bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to Texas. When there’s weak wind speeds at lower levels in the atmosphere, the moisture from the southerly winds do not dissipate like it normally does, Barnes said.
Typically, during the summer there’s good surface heating and stronger winds to bring dry air down, but that hasn’t been the case thus far, Barnes said.
“Right now, [the moisture] is just kind of stuck right down at the surface where we are,” Barnes said. ”It makes it feel a lot hotter than it really is.”
Is there any humidity relief coming to North Texas?
Yes, stronger winds are in the forecast for this weekend but it will still be hot in North Texas.
Drier air across the region will help bring the humidity down a little this weekend as temperatures are expected to be in the low 100s range, Barnes said. While the humidity will be down thanks to the stronger winds, the heat index is still expected to be around 110 degrees or higher.
“Thankfully, humidity will be a little bit less,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately, the heat index will still be pretty high.”
How is the heat index calculated?
The heat index is what the temperature feels like to the human body when combined with humidity and air temperature.
Meteorologists are able to calculate the heat index by taking into account the air and dew point temperatures, Barnes said. It’s all about how much moisture is in the air and what the actual air temperature is.
The NWS has an online heat index calculator for those looking to figure out the temperature themselves. All it takes is for people to input air and dew point data to figure out the heat index.
