Record temperatures have been set in Dallas as the scorching US summer continues

Another record day of high temperatures hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area on Saturday before a slight cooling trend moved into the region, according to the National Weather Service, as heat advisories extend from the Gulf Coast into the U.S. Southeast and the central part of the South.

Temperatures in the area reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius), breaking by four degrees the previous record for that date set in 2011, according to the National Weather Service.

The heat dome that has been over the state since June is expected to move out of the area soon, according to Weather Service meteorologist Ted Ryan.

Extreme heat warnings were in effect for much of East Texas, most of Louisiana, Mississippi, parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and the Florida Panhandle.

The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, asked the state’s 30 million residents five times this summer to voluntarily reduce energy use because rising temperatures are driving up electricity demand.

ERCOT has reached record peak power demand 10 times since June, according to its website.

The historic heat wave extended over parts of Mississippi and Louisiana as well.

Maximum heat index readings are expected to reach 119°F and 120°F (48.3°C and 48.9°C) across the region.

In Mississippi, the city of Jackson remained under an extreme heat warning with temperatures expected to peak on Saturday at 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius). City officials said the high temperatures are putting a strain on the city’s water system as an additional four million gallons of water are piped through the system daily. JXN Water is asking residents to reduce their water use to help conserve water.

Meanwhile, the entire state in Louisiana was under an excessive heat warning and burn ban due to continuing critical fire-related weather conditions.

“This is the hottest summer we’ve ever recorded,” said Phil Grigsby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisiana.

As of Friday, the area had recorded a heat index reading — what a temperature looks like — of more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6) for 55 days, since June 1, Grigsby said.

For the Dallas area, which had seen nine days of high temperatures before Saturday, temperatures are expected to be a bit cooler.

“There’s going to be a front that starts making its way here, and the high will be 103 degrees (Sunday),” Ryan said with a laugh. “But highs on Monday and Tuesday will be in the mid 90s, which is close to normal… 95 will feel good for a lot of us.”

Ryan said highs above 100 degrees likely won’t end, with temperatures likely to reach above that level during September.

Temporary relief is also on the horizon in neighboring Louisiana, Grigsby said.

“We’ll see a cold front blowing through the area” as tropical low pressure heads toward Florida, Grigsby said. “That will push temperatures in the 100s to 105s to the more common temperatures we’re used to seeing in August, into the lower 90s.”

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