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- Currently — August 25, 2023: All-time record heat in Chicago and Houston
Currently — August 25, 2023: All-time record heat in Chicago and Houston
Texas officials announce power and water conservation measures amid extreme conditions.
Eric Holthaus
August 24, 2023
The weather, currently.
Houston had its hottest day in history on Thursday, with temperatures climbing as high as 109°F (42.8°C).
Officials in Houston warned that rolling blackouts might be necessary to avoid catastrophic power outages, as demand for air conditioning and electricity was near a record high.
Thursday’s high temperature mark in Houston tied other equally warm days in 2000 and 2011, when Texas emergency rooms filled with patients seeking care from heat related illness and injury. This time around, the city has issued mandatory water restrictions, banning outdoor water use in an attempt to keep up water pressure as reservoir levels fall due to drought.
All-Time Record Heat in Houston: At 2:54 PM, Houston officially tied its hottest day on record, reaching 109 degrees. This has happened on two other occurrences in 2000 and 2011. Records date back all the way to 1889. #houwx#txwx
— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston)
Aug 24, 2023
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Thursday’s high temperature was 100°F — and it felt like 120°F (48.9°C) when you factored in the humidity. That’s the highest heat index in that city’s history. This week’s heat wave in Chicago rivals the one back in July 1995, which was one of the deadliest heat waves in US history.
What you can do, currently.
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