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Record heat will hit Seattle and Portland again on Sunday, and forecasters say there won’t be any signs of recovery until midweek.
Temperatures are well above normal for spring, 20 to 25 degrees above normal for May, and the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for areas south of the Canadian border to California.
Meanwhile, parts of Texas, including the Houston area, will experience swathes of heavy rain that could cause flash flooding.
Seattle and Portland Prepare for Record Temperatures
Portland, Oregon and Seattle will heat up on Sunday after an already sweltering Saturday.
“Sunday could be another record-breaking day, with Portland likely in the low to mid-90s,” said Zach Taylor, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. Stated.
Seattle’s maximum temperature could be in the high 80s, possibly 90s, which would also be a record, he said.
Pacific Northwest in the Oven:Record heat wave expected in Pacific Northwest this weekend
“Seattle’s average temperature in May is in the mid-60s, so we’re seeing observations that are 20 to 25 degrees warmer than normal, which is pretty significant,” he said.
Hot temperatures are rare in this area and few homes are built with this in mind. The Seattle area has one of the lowest percentages of air-conditioned homes in the nation, according to the 2021 U.S. Housing Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, at about 53%. This number is up from 31% in 2013, as climate change is driving more heatwave damage.
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High temperatures could continue into next week, but thunderstorms and showers could ease in some areas on Tuesday or Wednesday, said Jake Sogida, a meteorologist with AccuWeather at State College in Pennsylvania.
Some thunderstorms are dry and can cause thunder and lightning strikes, but they don’t rain, so they can pose their own problems. “It’s a double-edged sword,” he said.
“Lightning can strike vegetation that is drying out in the heat. During storms, it can provide some relief from the heat, but it can also pose a wildfire threat,” he said. rice field.
Houston lowlands at risk of flooding
Humidity eruptions spreading from the Gulf of Mexico through Texas to the Central Plains are bringing heavy rains that are hitting Texas, particularly the Houston area, Taylor said.
“We already had 1-2 inches of localized rain overnight and into this morning. We could have another 1-2 inches now and more locally,” he said.
That means there could be as much as four to five inches of rain in some parts of the greater Houston area on Sunday.
“There have already been reports of numerous flash floods over the weekend between San Antonio and Houston, which will continue to slowly move east and begin to subside into the evening,” Sogida said.
Heavy rains hit parts of central Oklahoma, across eastern Kansas, and into northern Missouri.
Sojida said there was a risk of heavy rains and possible flooding as the storm progressed northwards, but the threat was generally minimal.
“Due to drought in some areas, the rains were steady and beneficial. The rains were not heavy enough to cause damage,” he said.
Texas Tornado Clearing Continues
A powerful tornado hit the Laguna Heights area around 4 a.m. Saturday in the southern tip of Texas, killing one person and transporting at least 10 people to local hospitals, after recovery efforts are still underway.
Most people were asleep in their homes when the tornado hit the unincorporated community of Laguna Heights, located on the mainland across the Gulf of Mexico from South Padre Island.
Unlike hurricanes, for which advance warning is available, there is no way of knowing when a tornado will strike. Barry Goldsmith, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Brownsville, said the tornado’s first warning “came as soon as it touched the ground.”
A calm and mild week for the rest of the country
Sojida said the rest of the country, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest and flood watch zones, could have a comfortable week ahead.
“The northern layer is going to be quiet and very nice over the next few days,” he said. “Dry, sunny and mild weather is expected.”
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