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Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET: The heat wave that's been baking the Southwest has spread to the central U.S.
On Wednesday, West Texas got blasted by triple-digit heat, worsening the region's prolonged drought.
Midland felt some of the worst of the heat -- 103 degrees around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
That's a record -- five degrees above the previous Midland record for an April 25 set in 1996, National Weather Service forecaster Jack Ciccone of the Midland office told msnbc.com.
"It is unusual, but it isn't the earliest" triple digit start to April, he added, noting that record was set on April 21, 1989, with 101 degrees F.
On Tuesday highs reached well into the 80s from Texas all the way up to the border with Canada.
Of the 264 daily high records set on Tuesday, the vast majority were in the Southwest and central U.S., federal data show.
Scottsbluff, Neb., saw 93 degrees -- a record high there for any day in April, weather.com said.
The forecast has prompted concerns about brush and wildfires.
A cold front should bring rain over the weekend, Ciccone noted, but drought conditions won't see much improvement. "It's not something you can overcome in a few heavy rainstorms," he said. "It's going to take a long time to recover."
"Water's in scarce supply here," he added, noting that farmers and ranchers are being hit hardest. "The reservoirs and lakes are very low to record low levels in West Texas."
In North Texas, a mild winter and warm spring has led snakes to become active about six weeks earlier than usual, NBCDFW.com reported.
Three snake bite victims already have been treated at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, the NBC affiliate noted. The hospital typically sees about nine cases for an entire year.
The Southwest, meanwhile, continued its heat wave. Several Arizona areas saw temperatures top 100 on Tuesday.
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What? No word of the cooler than usual temperatures in Florida and other places along the Gulf?
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120424/ARTICLES/120429817
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/weather1/entries/2012/04/24/record_low_set_at_airport_tues.html
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/24/3902334/gulfport-sets-record-low-temperature.html
I live in mn and its 50 and rain if it tries to get to 70 today good luck as tomorrows forecast is 50 for a high wish I was a forecaster who makes 6 figures and guess
Sven - you suppose we'd be better off without them even trying?
EconomyKiller - record colds, when not in winter, arent as sexy as record highs...DUH!
get with the program, it's about what sells...and who cares about how cold the old farts in florida are.
If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen.
The passage of this Nor'easter with record snow followed by extreme heat must be some kind of record change in a brief period. It's absolutely bizarre to look at the weather maps this week.
Texas will be so fried and baked this summer it will make a leather skin senior look good.......
Well it was 45 degrees this morning in Southeast Texas. Not exactly what we would call a hot spell. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts though.
No bad wishes intended, it's just if you look at last year and starting this year already with 104 in Phoenix in April?? It is going to be smokin hot........
oh well, one part of texas wasnt roasting today...so all of it isn't.
great logic.
Is that why New England had 14 inches of snow this weekend? Maybe all the heat was transferred to the midwest.
The weather has been incredible over the last year in the US. It's like watching a crazy atmospheric soap opera. I can't even imagine what this summer is going to bring to most of the US.
First it was the Great Flood and now this. Guess we been bad again ..
It's CLIMATE CHANGE, folks. Get use to it!
Well I wish it would make up its mind. March was record warm here and was great! This month is below norm. I want warming!
The Great Flood was foretold and the warning was given before it came. Violence was widespread Those who died took no note. Although, those who listened survived. So we can't blame God.
This weather has nothing to do with God. God tells of what HE will do before he does it. This weather and weather related disasters has to do with the world we live in at present. It's not directly from God. We should be careful as to what we say.
George; my comment was in the form of a rhetorical question. I'd never presume anything of this nature.
God tells us ahead of time? Yeah, it is called Revelations.
George - do you talk like that all the time?
when will the 4 horsemen come? thats the part I think will be super cool!
I live in SE Ohio last months highs were on the news 24/7 since then it has been way below average. Come on people just report the facts
If I recall... the experts predicted that last year's drought in Texas was the "new norm?" Except that we have a surplus of almost DOUBLE the average rainfall this year......... lakes full again..... back on track for the usual heat and humidity...
I just saw a show about how the great lakes used to be little rivers and ponds....only a few thousand years ago..... it's called change... the Earth is an ever changing... evolving... eroding...growing entity.....
if you want to know why, go see the documentary series Frozen Planet on Discovery. I personally think it's a misleading title, it's should be called Melting Planet. All those fresh water trapped for millions of years as ice are now altering the salinity and thus the convection current of all bodies of water. Nobody will know what kind of dramatic changes is in store as it's happening very very quickly. Suddenly the fantastical scenario of disaster porn like in 'Day After Tomorrow' is not out of the question anymore.
TX weather it is like living on the sun. Awful.
Texas weather is awesome!!! I am enjoying sitting here in shorts and a tee, watching my kids play in the little pool, drinking a cold one.... AWWWWWWWW
Time to open the pools.
West Texas has lots of water? Where is this character? All the Southwest is hot and dry. It is so hot that I saw a horn toad packing a rock around to sit down on. Hopefully, the Summer monsoon happens to break the drought. Otherwise Texans call upon your governor to come up with some kind of prayer that works. Do Christians have rain dances?
BTW. Stop moving here!! We have no water for your stupid giant whirlpool baths and 5 bathroom mansions!!!
No, that'd be Las Vegas stealing your water for it's outdoor fountains and Pirate Boat fights on giant lakes. I'm sorry, but who would choose to live in west Texas or anywhere in Texas, for that matter. Hot and dry as all get out.
Polygamy? Do you even know anything about Texas? Or where Las Vegas gets it's water?
Notice that the heat is centered on Waco TX.........coincidence?
blistering heat, tornados,huge storms packing snow, drought, that old ''liberal hoax'' is just knocking em dead eh?
Harry, do Christians have rain dances! No, but we do have the Illuminati so better watch what you say!
You don't neet to be a Rocket Scientist to see that the earth is warming, Unless you are a Republican!
High of 96 already today.. Can't wait for my vacation in three weeks. Hope south Dakota is nice then. And Wyoming.. I hope it gets hot in both places while I visit..
The temperature in Calgary, AB was a record 82ºF, or 28ºC on April 23, 2012
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