HOUSTON – Monday’s heat was a record-breaker. It marked the 15th consecutive day of triple-digit temps, beating the 1980 record of 14 days in a row.
At the Department of Public Safety in northwest Houston Monday morning, a long line of people waiting for services stretched outside. Some said they had been standing in the hot sun for nearly an hour, and they weren’t happy about it.
"What if it’s storming? What about people who are old and are going to get heat stroke," said Brie Miller, who was waiting outside. "It’s ridiculous."
With 25 days of triple-digit heat this summer, we haven’t seen a year like this in more than three decades. And, the drought isn’t helping, either.
"If you notice the storms are going up the East coast," said Jill Hassling, the Weather Research Center president. "We need the whole pattern to change and break down. Hopefully, that will happen in the next couple of weeks."
Experts say you can blame the heat and drought on a number of things, like a weakened La Nina sticking around and a high-pressure system that has parked over Southeast Texas.
"A high-pressure system gives us beautiful clear skies, but it blocks the rain," said Hassling. "It doesn’t allow clouds to form. We need this high pressure out of there. We also, for the rain, we need a tropical system to break the drought."
If we don’t get a tropical system, experts across the country worry the drought could roll right into next year.
