Central Texas under heat advisory as Tropical Storm Bertha approaches Texas coast
Posted: Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:50 PM - 55 Readers
By: Roberto Villalpando
Central Texas, including the Austin metro area, is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Thursday as heat index values are expected to reach as high as 112 degrees. Daytime temperatures in Austin could hit 101 degrees under sunny skies, feeling about 10 degrees hotter due to humidity, with overnight lows remaining above 81 degrees into Friday morning. The National Weather Service warns that extreme heat and high humidity significantly raise the risk of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Tropical Storm Bertha, located about 55 miles north-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River with 50 mph winds and moving west-northwest, is approaching the Texas coast and has prompted a tropical storm watch from the Louisiana border to Sargent near Matagorda Bay. While most of the Austin area is expected to stay dry Thursday, some rain chances may develop over the Coastal Plains later in the day, with Austin seeing a 30% chance of rain early Friday before temperatures reach a high of 96 degrees. Models currently suggest limited precipitation impacts for Central Texas, with conditions drying out over the weekend before hotter 100-degree temperatures return by midweek.
