It is hot in Texas. So hot, in fact, that one publication claimed that it could be the hottest place on earth today, Wednesday, June 28.

Sizzling temperatures are appearing throughout the state as residents suffer through the fourth week of record temperatures.

At the end of the third week on Friday, June 23, six out of the 10 hottest U.S. cities were expected to be in Texas, according to the Washington Post’s U.S. heat track.

The reason for record-breaking heat is a heat dome that traps the heat and prevents it from dispersing.

A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure system is stuck in a particular location and holds the heat in.

The heat dome may get worse before it lifts. Temperatures are expected to surge past 100 degrees in all three of the state’s metropolitan areas including Houston, Dallas and Austin.

The heat wave is not only affecting Texas. Tens of millions of people from Texas to nearby states are suffering under extreme heat advisories since June 14. Excessive-heat warnings have been issued for much of Texas, parts of New Mexico and Arizona and along the Gulf Costs of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Excessive-heat watches have been posted for the lower Mississippi Valley including Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi, Little Rock Arkansas and Poplar, Bluff, Missouri.

The heat is causing power outages and authorities in Texas are wondering if the grid will be able to satisfy the demand in electricity. The state doesn’t get electricity from neighboring states. It is the only state in the lower 48 that is disconnected from a national grid, a deliberate consequence in order to avoid federal regulations. And as temperatures surge higher, residents crank up their air conditioners causing a strain on electric utilities.

The scorching temperatures are expected to last into next week and will prove deadly to residents. Cities throughout Texas are setting high temperature records. Temperatures have climbed to 114 degrees, surpassing a record that was set just last year.

There is a thick humidity that is intensifying the impact of the heat and causing a health risk. Heat is being trapped in buildings that might otherwise cool down overnight.

Temperatures that would normally cool down at night are not, so oppressive temperatures remain. Overnight temperatures are forecasted to be higher than daytime temperatures. Around 90 afternoon high-temperature records could be broken across the south from Texas to the Mississippi Valley and in parts of Florida, according to the National Weather Service. Moreover, overnight temperatures will be abnormally high. It is expected that 180 nighttime records will be broken over the next week.

Global warming is causing hotter nights. Dallas is expected to have six consecutive days without temperatures dropping below 80 degrees overnight. That’s a record for the month of June.

The cities remain hot overnight because there are a lot of asphalt, concrete, buildings and freeways that absorb more heat than areas with parks, rivers and tree-lined streets. The retained heat is released back into the air during the night.

Inmates are dying in Texas prisons due to stifling heat. More than two-thirds of Texas’ 100 prisons don’t have air conditioning in most living areas.

Texas will experience continued highs of 100 degrees for places including Houston, San Antonio and Austin and the lower 100s in Dallas and as high as 110 degrees in San Angelo. The scorching temperatures are expected to spread north and east.

Oklahoma City will experience a brief spike of heat with highs likely to reach 105 degrees. That would tie a record of 105 set in 1980. New Orleans may experience temperatures below 100 degrees of actual air temperature, but tropical rainforest-like dew points will be in the upper 70s to around 80. Heat indexes will range from 113 degrees to 117 degrees that could last to the end of the week. Jackson, Mississippi is expected to endure temperatures in the upper 90s to as high as 100 degrees. The heat will persist into Friday. Memphis will suffer triple digit highs and heat indexes above 110 degrees Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Nashville may also hit 100.

As of 2:30 p.m. central time Wednesday, June 28, cities in Texas with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees include:

• Amarillo 98 degrees
• Austin 96 degrees
• Corpus Christi 96 degrees
• Dallas 93 degrees
• El Paso 100 degrees
• Fort Worth 100 degrees
• Houston 93 degrees
• Laredo 100 degrees
• Lubbock 104 degrees
• San Antonio 96 degrees
• Brownsville 95 degrees
• Beaumont 93 degrees
• Odessa 102 degrees
• McAllen 100 degrees

As of 3:18 p.m. eastern time on June 28, the states with the worst power outages include:

• Tennessee 30,944
• Arkansas 9,943
• Kentucky 5,442
• Mississippi 4,788
• Texas 3,132
• Louisiana 1,837
• Oklahoma 1,048

One way to avoid power outages is to have a standalone generator. APElectric has a wide inventory of generators manufactured by some of the most popular companies in the country. Visit the company’s website for more information at www.apelectric.com or call 847-516-8882 M-F from 8 to 5 PM Central.