Half a million in Houston suffer from heat, power cuts after deadly storm

As Houston works to clean up and restore power to nearly half a million after deadly storms killed at least seven, a smog warning was issued and temperatures skyrocketed which could pose health risks, reports AP.

Meteorologist Marc Chenard of the National Weather Service on Saturday said that highs of around 90 degrees fahrenheit (32.2°C) were expected through the start of the next week, with heat indexes likely approaching 100 degrees (38°C) by the middle of the week.

Chenard said they expected the impact of the heat to gradually increase, which he said would start to see that heat risk rise Tuesday into Wednesday through Friday.

The heat index determines what the temperature feels like to the human body when humidity is combined with the air temperature, according to the weather service.

The weather service’s Houston office said in a post on X that, “Don’t overdo yourself during the cleanup process.”

Additionally with the heat, the Houston area is likely to face poor air quality during the weekend, making things worse for the city dwellers.

There is a forecast of heavy rainfall in eastern Louisiana and central Alabama on Saturday, with parts of Louisiana at the risk of flooding.