Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Heat Advisory Today!

A heat advisory has been issued for most of East Texas this afternoon and evening until 7 PM. Actual air temperatures combined with the relative humidity will make it feel more like 105 to 109 degrees this afternoon. Below is a heat index chart you can use to combine the air temperature where you live with your relative humidity.

Remember, once the heat index reaches 105 degrees, it is dangerous to be outdoors. Your body has to work overtime to cool and you can become dehydrated rapidly. If you start to feel dizzy our nauseous, you are starting to feel the first signs of heat exhaustion. This could lead to heat stroke and even death so please take precautions this afternoon if you are outdoors. Don’t forget about your pets as well. Make sure they have plenty of water and an area to stay cool. And never leave your child or pet in a parked car. Temperatures inside your vehicle can reach 150 degrees within a few minutes.




There is also a chance of a few isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. An outflow boundary, or mini cold front, from yesterday’s storms to our north, will move across East Texas this afternoon. This will act as a focusing mechanism for thunderstorm development this afternoon. Now there will only be a few storms that develop and most will remain dry this afternoon. However, with the available heat energy, a few of these storms could be strong. The main threat today would be from strong gusty winds and cloud to ground lightning. Areas in and around these storms will see a rapid drop in the temperatures so hopefully everyone will get some relief, but right now it looks to be only a few folks that see natures air conditioning.