Record-breaking heat gives way to storms across El Paso

EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso baked under record-breaking heat Tuesday before storms rolled across the Borderland in the evening, bringing rain, dust and power outages.

El Paso hit 108 degrees in the afternoon, the hottest day of the year so far. The temperature also broke the previous record high for July 31 of 104 degrees, set in 1972.

“It just feels like the ovens on. Like, it just feels like I’m walking into an oven and I just…. It’s horrific. It’s just been just crazy,” one person said.

One man said even basic errands were uncomfortable in the extreme temperatures: “Just running from the house to the car, from the car to businesses and just trying to keep cool the whole time.”

Jordan Salas reports on Record-breaking heat gives way to storms across El Paso (Credit: KFOX14)

Later in the afternoon, a storm soaked Interstate 10 near Las Cruces as rain began moving across the Borderland. By the evening, storms pushed into El Paso, turning earlier sunshine into dark skies and wet roads.

One person said the quick shift in weather was a relief. “It’s just been crazy. Like it’s hot and then it’s raining. But I’m happy that it’s finally here because it’ll cool off finally,” Candia said.

As storms moved through, one person urged drivers to use caution.

“With this weather, just be careful with the lightning,” he said. “On the roads, take it slow, take it slow.”

At El Paso International Airport, dust from the evening’s weather triggered a smoke alarm inside the terminal. The airport said first responders checked the building and normal operations resumed.

The storms also brought power outages across the city. El Paso Electric reported a combination of extreme heat and storm impacts caused 20 outages affecting more than 1,200 customers.

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