'No end in sight' for massive heat wave plaguing Texas, New Mexico: NWS

The National Weather Service (NWS) on Thursday warned there’s “no end in sight for the excessive heat that has plagued” Texas and New Mexico as temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit are expected to expand “east into the Mississippi valley and north toward the central Plains next week,” Axios reports.

NWS forecast models predict the heat wave is expected “to worsen and last into the week of July 4,” according to Axios and “the [Texas] state record” will likely “be threatened, if not tied or broken, before the heat wave” breaks in July.

“By the middle of next week into the first week of July, in excess of 40 million people may be under heat alerts,” Axios reports, as the heat wave expands into Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.

The NWS warned “some locations may experience heat indices from 115-120°F each afternoon,” and areas near the Gulf Coast risk “prolonged periods of extreme heat and high humidity,” according to the report.

That combination can cause heat stress for many as the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) soars.

As CBS News 27 reports, “The wet bulb temperature is developed by using a thermometer that has a water-soaked cloth over the bulb of it. As air flows past the cloth it evaporates the water in it. The temperature created by the evaporative cooling will give you the ‘wet bulb’ temperature on the thermometer.”

According to the NWS, the WBGT takes into account “temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover.”

“Military agencies, OSHA and many nations use the WBGT as a guide to managing workload in direct sunlight,” the NWS notes.

Read the full report at Axios.