Residents of Odessa, Texas, just west of Midland near the New Mexico border, already had enough to deal with as raging hot air caused temperatures to soar past the 100-degree mark earlier in the week. But on Monday, the intense heat that envelops much of Texas got even tougher when thousands in this city lost water.
City officials said 165,000 homes and businesses were left with either low water pressure or no water at all after a 24-inch water main broke Monday afternoon, resulting in a boil water advisory for city residents. Many of the affected residents were forced to head over to local emergency centers, where volunteers and city officials handed out free cases of bottled water.
Resident Kassie Sanchez told AccuWeather's Bill Wadell that it's been hard on her family. "It's been pretty tough, especially with having a baby, having to provide water for her formula and washing dishes, everyday needs."
As of Wednesday morning, the water treatment plant was back online, and some homes were able to get water through their taps again. But the situation highlights what residents of the Southwest had to live through just as summer gets underway.
GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"The peak of the recent heat in Odessa was Saturday and Sunday when blazing sunshine sent temperatures close to 105," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk. "The extreme heat has backed off a little since then with highs at or below 100, but that is still no picnic as this heat can really make outdoor work much more grueling and lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion and heatstroke."
Nearly 100 million people have been under some kind of heat advisory, including more than 42 million sweltering under an "extreme heat warning."
Odessa officials said the boil water advisory will remain in effect at least through Friday to kill any bacteria and other contaminants. Elective surgeries at area hospitals have also been postponed.
As extreme heat and drought events continue to ramp up, some utility experts say the possibility of more water main failures could also increase.
"When you're going from moist conditions to really dry conditions over time, the soil will move," Odessa Public Works Director Tom Kerr told AccuWeather.
"It's an aging infrastructure that we're seeing," Deputy City Manager Phillip Urrutia told The Associated Press. "It's a cast-iron pipe, and so those are typically more susceptible to breaks than other new technologies like PVC pipe that's going in the ground."
Texans can expect the extreme heat to stick around over the next few days.
"It looks like sunshine will continue to keep high temperatures in the middle and upper 90s through the weekend," Houk said. "Don't count on any cooling thunderstorms either, as moisture coming around the back side of strong high pressure gets funneled northward to the west across western New Mexico and a weak front and its moisture stay to the northeast."
Hot air has been scorching many parts of the Midwest, including Chicago, St. Louis and Minneapolis.
With reporting from AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.