5 things to know about Austin’s heat
It’s hot. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, it’s hard for Austinites to escape that basic reality. Here are five things to know about it:
1. Heat’s here to stay: The National Weather Service is forecasting triple-digit temperatures all week, with heat reaching as high as 103 on Friday.
2. Records safe so far: Austin still has a long way to go to break its 100-degree records. If the forecast holds, the high in Austin will have topped 100 degrees for 13 straight days. The record is 22 straight days. Austin also would have hit 100 degrees 20 times this year — still 53 days short of the record set in 2011.
3. Summer surprise: Going into summer, Austin was on pace to record its hottest year ever. The record average temperature had been driven as much by a lack of cold weather at night as by the highs. Many forecasters actually had expected a fairly unremarkable
summer, with only a few more 100-or-hotter days than the average of 12.
4. Listen to ‘The Rock’: Anyone performing activities outside should take the advice of actor, former professional wrestler and possible 2020 presidential candidate Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Stay hydrated. Hikers should bring food that contains high amounts
of potassium, protein, carbohydrates and calories, such as dried fruit and nut mixtures. 5. It’s even hotter than you
think. The weather service expects Tuesday’s heat index — how hot it feels when taking the humidity into account — to reach 107.