An unusually hot summer looms for Houston

Another hotter-than-usual summer is in store for Texas, per federal forecasters.

Why it matters: Extreme heat is a major public health threat and plays a role in droughts and wildfires.

• Hot weather, particularly heat waves, also threatens the reliability of the increasingly strained electricity grid .

Threat level: The ways climate change is altering the character of American summers increasingly stands out.

• 2023 was the warmest summer on record for Houston, according to the National Weather Service , with 45 days with temperatures of 100 or higher . The highest temperature in Houston last year was 109°F.

What they're saying: Extremely hot days were "rare in the 1970s and commonplace now ," Peter Girard, a spokesperson for nonprofit science and communications organization Climate Central, tells Axios.

The intrigue: One wild card this summer will be exactly where persistent areas of high pressure, also known as heat domes, set up. That will determine the areas that see some of the hottest conditions.

• Some research suggests there may be a tendency for them to occur across Texas.

The latest: It's warm this week, but it's about to get a lot hotter starting as early as next week, per the National Weather Service .

• Summerlike temperatures in the low to mid-90s are expected next week.

The bottom line: Get ready to sweat.

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