Expect some near-record high heat this Independence Day weekend.
Temperatures will be about three to five points above normal, said Barry Goldsmith, warning coordinator meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Brownsville.
Normally, the average temperature for Independence Day weekend is about 93 degrees in the afternoon and 81 degrees in the evenings.
“For this particular weekend, including the Fourth of July, temperatures may even threaten 100 degrees,” Goldsmith said. “We’re already feeling the heat with 103 degrees in McAllen and 97 degrees in Harlingen on Thursday.”
The rising temperatures could rival 2009 and 1998, in which Independence Day weekend was close to 100 degrees.
“It is the hottest July since 2009. We don’t expect it to rival it completely, but it will be close. That was a record year for many areas in the Rio Grande Valley,” Goldsmith said.
And with winds blowing strong in the south, it will feel like a “blast furnace,” Goldsmith said.
Evenings will reach 85 degrees and might feel like 90 to 92.
Humidity will also be a slight factor, making the weekend feel hotter than it actually is.
Because of this hotter than usual weather, Goldsmith is advising residents of the Valley to be more cautious.
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Heat warning
