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A heat dome moving into Texas from western Colorado is bringing typical triple-digit temperatures to the Highland Lakes starting Tuesday, Aug. 6. The hot weather ends a mercifully mild summer so far for Burnet and Llano counties.

The current National Weather Service forecast for Marble Falls shows highs of 100 on Tuesday, 102 on Wednesday, and 103 on Thursday and Friday.

Triple-digit heat should continue into the weekend with no rain in the forecast.

“The month of July spoiled us with below-normal temperatures and above-normal rainfall,” said Lower Colorado River Authority meteorologist Bob Rose in his Aug. 2 weather report. 

According to Rose, July 2024 was one degree cooler than average and much of Central Texas received 2-3 inches of rain above what’s normal for the month. Some locations got 5-8 inches above normal.

The Highland Lakes area received unseasonable rains throughout July, and heavy rainfall in counties farther west resulted in moderate flooding of the Llano River, causing Lake Travis to rise by nearly 7 feet.

“Not bad for what is typically the driest and second-hottest month of summer,” Rose said. “August is here, and, unfortunately, there are no traces left of that tolerable July pattern.”

The area was in the grip of a brutal heatwave in July 2023 with 51 consecutive days of 100-plus-degree highs. That hellish stretch was also attributed to a heat dome.

Rose explained that the current heat dome grew in size as it moved from Colorado to as far as East Texas. 

“With the heat dome now the dominant weather feature going forward, we’re looking at an extended stretch of hot and dry weather (which is very typical of the month of August),” he said.

The term “heat dome” refers to an area impacted by a high-pressure system within a jet stream that prevents hot air from rising. The hot air is forced to the surface and remains stagnant, typically increasing the temperature until the high-pressure system dissipates or a cold front moves in.

dakota@thepicayune.com