Texas faces extreme heat and widespread burn bans

Texas is experiencing extreme heat and high wildfire danger as a heat dome settles over the region. Temperatures in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex have reached 107 degrees, with triple-digit heat affecting the eastern two-thirds of the state.

Due to the dry and combustible conditions, burn bans have been implemented in 148 of the state's 254 counties. In East Texas, leaders in Gregg and Smith counties have enacted bans to mitigate increased wildfire risks. The Texas A&M Forest Service has noted that fire danger levels are expected to climb to high or very high across much of the state through the middle of the week.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service indicate that the current weather pattern resembles the dry, hot conditions of 2015 and 2023. While some scattered thunderstorms are possible in the Guadalupe Mountains and Trans-Pecos regions, most of the state remains dry under upper-level high pressure. There are currently no active tropical threats in the Atlantic or Gulf basins.