A shift in a dangerous heat dome will allow some to dry off while the Southern Plains continues to bake into this weekend. Triple-digit highs, stifling humidity and little relief at night are expected in Texas and Oklahoma.

Where it's hot now

It's already hotter than even August standards in the South.

The combination of heat and extremely muggy air has sent heat indices soaring above 105, even 110 in southern Georgia, coastal South Carolina, the Florida Panhandle and the mid-South region around Memphis.

You can see current actual temperatures on the map below:

The map below shows where the National Weather Service has issued heat alerts, ranging from heat advisories to extreme heat warnings. These alerts mean it's hot enough to take extra precautions to avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

(CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Dew Point | Heat Index)

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Heat dome heads west

The heat isn't going anywhere soon for places like Oklahoma City and Houston, but much of the Southeast will see the first false fall ... in humidity.

Even in cities like Tampa, New Orleans, Atlanta and Raleigh, high temperatures probably won't change much by this weekend. Some communities may see a drop by a few degrees.

But many, especially in Texas and Oklahoma, will see highs stay in the 100s.

And that's hot enough to threaten some daily record highs in the Southern Plains and the Southeast Coast.

(MORE: Should you turn off your A/C or leave it on when you leave home?)

How long will this last?

This depends on where you live.

Cooler air will begin to nudge into the South after taking over the Midwest by late this week. More noticeably, drier air will come from the Great Lakes and arrive in the interior Southeast this weekend into early next week. This won't drop the temperatures much, but will make it more comfortable.

Dew points in the 50s are generally considered comfortable, while dew points in the 70s are very sticky.

Morning lows in many parts of the South won't be any cooler than the 70s, but a few spots in the southern Appalachians could dip into the 60s as drier air arrives.

But for the rest of the South, from Oklahoma and Texas to Florida, this heat wave will have staying power through at least much of next week, if not longer, with humidity included.

That's due to a stubborn feature in the atmosphere called a heat dome that will get stuck over the Southern Plains.

(MORE: Earth just tied its hottest month on record)

What you should do

• Heat is the No. 1 weather killer in the U.S., with hundreds of fatalities each year.
• The combination of heat and humidity lingering into the night for several days in a row is dangerous for those without access to air conditioning, especially in the cores of larger cities.
• Check on family, friends, the elderly and those with chronic illness who live without access to air conditioning.
• If possible, avoid being outdoors for long in the peak heat of the afternoon.
• If not, take frequent breaks, avoid strenuous activity, drink more water than usual and wear loose, lightweight clothing.

(MORE: Heat advice from an ER doctor)

Records broken so far

Miami hit 100 degrees on Tuesday. This is only the second time the city has done this since 1895. The only other time? July 21, 1942.

Other daily records were tied or broken on Tuesday across much of the South. Some notables include Little Rock Adams Field, Arkansas (105), McAllen, Texas (104), Tallahassee, Florida (100), Fort Lauderdale, Florida (98), Jacksonville, Florida (98), Fayetteville, North Carolina (98) and Downtown Charleston, South Carolina (97), among several others.

Wednesday saw more daily records tied or broken.

Some notables were Fort Smith, Arkansas (109), Little Rock Adams Field, Arkansas (107), Tuscaloosa, Alabama (102), Brownsville, Texas (100), Savannah, Georgia (99), and Miami, Florida (96), among several others.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.