AUSTIN, Texas – The calendar only says May, but it's a figurative inferno in Central Texas this week with potentially historic levels of early-season heat in the forecast.
The scorching heat descending upon the Lone Star State will be so extreme that thermometers are forecast to climb higher than the sun-baked sands of all the U.S. deserts, with high temperatures possibly reaching close to 115 degrees along the Rio Grande.
The FOX Forecast Center said major cities such as Austin and San Antonio can expect record-breaking triple-digit temperatures through Sunday.
The hottest conditions continue to peak on Thursday, when additional all-time heat records for the month of May could be shattered. By the time the heat wave ends, hundreds of daily records are likely to be broken.
On Wednesday, Austin hit 101 degrees at Camp Mabry and 100 degrees at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, each besting their daily record high by 4 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. San Antonio topped out at 102 degrees, beating its record high of 97.
It was even hotter in Del Rio, which reached a scorching record-breaking 109 degrees on Tuesday and 104 degrees on Wednesday.
Wednesday marked the second day in a row of triple-digit and record-breaking heat in Austin, which also hit 100 degrees Tuesday, besting its previous daily record of 94 degrees.
In College Station, a 100-year-old record was broken when the city reached 97 degrees on Wednesday. The old record was 96, set in 1925.
After triggering Extreme Heat Warnings on Wednesday, slightly lower temperatures are expected on Thursday, which have only prompted the National Weather Service to issue Heat Advisories.
Wednesday's Extreme Heat Warnings in Central and South Texas were the first to be issued since the name was changed from "Excessive Heat Warning." This was done as the National Weather Service continues to work on making alerts easier to understand for the public.
HEAT ALERTS ARE GETTING NEW NAMES THIS SUMMER FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
For many locations west of Interstate 35 and south of Interstate 20, temperatures will likely still exceed 100 degrees, marking the first real taste of summer this year.
This surge of heat will also coincide with the next severe storm threat across the Midwest and South on Thursday and Friday.
Heat will continue to expand across the Southeast into Friday and Saturday, with many cities there also eyeing records. This includes cities like Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, and Tallahassee, Florida.