Burn bans and water restrictions: How North Texas cities are tackling the heat

Texas is in better shape this summer compared to this time last year, but people, crops and livestock remain at risk amid searing heat and intensifying drought conditions .

Why it matters: Many North Texas cities are asking residents to help mitigate the impacts by conserving water, energy and emergency resources.

The big picture: Burn bans are in effect for 118 of Texas' 254 counties, per the Texas A&M Forest Service .

• Texas is also the country's hot spot for heat-related illnesses, per CDC data tracking emergency department visits.

Threat level: Dallas-Fort Worth has seen 21 days over 100 degrees so far this year, compared to 55 around this time last year. The hottest day so far this year was Monday, when the temperature reached 107 degrees.

• There's no rain in the forecast through next week, fueling the risk for wildfires and even drier vegetation, per the National Weather Service's Fort Worth office.

Zoom in: Much of North Texas is abnormally dry, with drought conditions returning to portions of Denton County, per the U.S. Drought Monitor .

What they're doing: This week, Gov. Greg Abbott designated more firefighting resources toward the growing threat of wildfires across the state.

• CoServ and TXU are among the local energy providers that offer perks to customers who conserve power during peak times.
• Tarrant County also issued a 90-day burn ban for unincorporated areas, prohibiting unapproved trash fires, fireworks, or burning of fields. Cooking, welding and fire pits for social gatherings are still allowed.
• Denton officials announced this week that residents can only water their lawns once a week until mid-September. Dallas and Plano allow residents to water their lawns twice a week.
• Arlington and Fort Worth are among the North Texas cities with year-round restrictions on outdoor watering.

Between the lines: Grid officials say they expect to have adequate supply to meet demand this week, despite the heat testing the state's power grid .

• The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state's electrical grid, asked residents to conserve electricity 11 times last summer to ensure the grid's stability.
• ERCOT hasn't asked Texans to conserve energy this summer with added power generation — mostly solar and wind — as well as battery storage.
• Tuesday set a record for energy use , narrowly surpassing the previous record set in August 2023.

The bottom line: Less is more when it's this hot outside.