Texas gripped by deadly heat wave raising drought concerns and straining power grid

Energy grid demand records broke on Tuesday

Texas saw another day of record-breaking heat on Wednesday, leaving thousands without power as triple digit temperatures were forecast to continue through Thursday.

Sweltering conditions stressed the state’s energy grid and broke its operator’s demand record on Tuesday, according to The Dallas Morning News.

A tuber floats down the Comal River on Wednesday in New Braunfels, Texas ((AP Photo/Eric Gay))

The previous year’s record was 85,508 megawatts of electricity. The paper said the latest record was more than 50 megawatts higher, at 85,559 megawatts.

While the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said in a Thursday morning tweet that the grid — which has previously suffered under the weight of demand — is operating under “normal conditions” with “sufficient capacity to meet demand,” outage tracker PowerOutage.US showed more than 8,500 customers remained without power.

Meanwhile, residents desperate to beat the heat have been forced to stay inside, or seek refuge in local bodies of water.

A tuber in a cowboy hat floats down Comal River on Wednesday in New Braunfels, Texas ((AP Photo/Eric Gay))

The National Weather Service’s Corpus Christi Office said records had either been broken or tied when the city reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Laredo “jumped up” to 109 degrees, tying its previous record.

Multiple weeks of August have seen highs above 100 degrees. Last Friday was no different and local TV station KTVT reported a UPS driver had crashed his truck after passing out from the heat.

In Sherman, KXII said the county jail experienced air conditioning issues over the weekend, with units struggling to keep consistent temperatures.

Two heat-related deaths were reported across North Texas last weekend, according to NBC 5. The station said a 76-year-old woman had passed away in Denton County, and a 72-year-old man died in Hood County.

A paddler moves down the Guadalupe River on Wednesday in New Braunfels, Texas ((AP Photo/Eric Gay))

The Texas A&M Forest Service raised the state’s Wildland Fire Preparedness Level in response to hot and dry conditions, with an increase in current and expected wildfire activity reported across the state.

On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced he had deployed additional state firefighting resources to assist affected communities.

“As the state continues to endure triple-digit temperatures and dry vegetation, Texas is deploying additional firefighting resources to assist communities that have increased wildfire activity,” he said in a statement.

On Thursday, the National Interagency Fire Center showed no active fires in the state, but said there were fuels and fire behavior advisories in place for Northwest Texas.

The Forest Service said there were more than 7,500 wildfires across the state last year, burning 205,144 acres.

A Border Patrol agent gives unaccompanied minors water outside Eagle Pass, Texas in early February ((Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images))

All of this comes amid burgeoning and continuing concerns regarding the state’s water resources.

In May, a bipartisan group of legislators wrote a letter asking Congress to withhold funds from Mexico until the country met “obligations to resolve the ongoing water dispute.” They argued that without the lack of reliable water deliveries, the quality of life for American citizens living along the Texas-Mexico border would be threatened.

Just over 40 percent of the state is under moderate-to-severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn speaks with reporters in Washington, D.C., in early February ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Archive))

Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings continued across the Lone Star State on Thursday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the ongoing heat wave over the Southern Plains and Gulf coast would continue into the weekend, with high temperatures in the upper 90s, “likely breaking dozens of additional daily records.”

In addition, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected for parts of the Southern Plains region through Saturday.

Next week is forecast to bring more storms, but high temperatures remain in the 90s.

The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online.