Heat dome to shove Texas into summer as spring begins

Austin weather: Temperatures continue to climb

Things are going to get warm, into record high territory. Adaleigh Rowe has all the details in her full forecast.

AUSTIN, Texas - Mother Nature wants Texas to skip over spring and go directly to summer this weekend with record-breaking heat expected across much of the state.

The backstory:

A massive area of high pressure anchored across the Southwest U.S. will expand this weekend, placing Texas on the eastern edge of the sprawling system.

The so-called heat dome has already led to historic heat in places such as Las Vegas, Nevada; Kingman, Arizona; and Palm Springs, California.

A massive high-pressure system across the Southwest U.S. is pushing up temperatures across the region. (FOX Weather)

Timeline:

The edge of the heat dome moves into Texas just as spring officially begins Friday, and the result will be temperatures more reminiscent of summer.

The worst of the heat is expected in West Texas and the Panhandle, where temperatures will top out in the mid- to upper 90s. That is 20-30 degrees above average for this time of year. 

Places such as Austin, Dallas and Houston won’t escape the 90-degree weather either, with temperatures that are 15-25 degrees above average for this time of year. According to the National Weather Service, DFW is expected to hit 93 degrees Friday. That would break a high-temperature record for the day set in 2017.

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Saturday will be the hottest day, with temperatures near 100 degrees expected in the Panhandle and West Texas and in the mid-90s in eastern Texas. Waco could break a record high for Saturday set in 1916.

What they're saying:

"This will be the hottest stretch of the year so far, arriving very early in the season and with little time for acclimation after the cold snap earlier this week," forecasters at the NWS office in Dallas/Fort Worth wrote in their discussion on Thursday. "While heat index values should remain close to the ambient temperatures given the relatively dry airmass, that does not lessen the significance of the heat this early in the season."

What you can do:

To beat the heat, experts recommend staying hydrated with non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages and wearing lightweight, light-colored clothing.