Bleech. Up to 104 in Austin this week. Looks like chance of thunderstorms in the long-range forecast next week but likely hit or miss and hopefully with no lightning strikes causing a fire. I can deal with the heat, even though we are having August weather in June, but am really beginning to fear the extreme fire danger. 11 houses were lost in an intense fire on the edge of a canyon last month. This was not out in the country, but in a suburban Austin neighborhood. There are many cedar (juniper) trees here and they can easily just explode into flames under wildfire conditions.
Have noticed many dead birds here and there recently; I think they are dying of heat stress, and perhaps the dry conditions have cut down on their food supply.
Just praying that people will use common sense of July 4, if we stay in the same weather pattern.
Pathetic, I know, but each day I and many others check the NOAA Hurricane Web site to see if there are any tropical storms forming that might be headed our way!