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North Texas heat wave: How many 100-degree days? When will Dallas cool down?

Here are five things to know, as the Dallas area has exceeded the typical summer for 100-degree days.

Update:
Updated Aug. 21 with new weather details.

If you’ve stepped outside in the past month, you know it’s hot outside. Like, miserably, hopelessly hot.

A ferocious heat wave settled over Dallas-Fort Worth and much of Texas, sending people scrambling indoors for air conditioning or trying to have a little fun with things by, say, baking chocolate chip cookies inside their cars.

As the National Weather Service issued almost-daily excessive heat warnings, here are five things to know about the heat wave:

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1. How many 100-degree days has Dallas-Fort Worth seen?

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So far, North Texas has recorded 41 days of at least 100 degrees, beating the typical summer, which sees roughly 20 days with 100-degree temperatures. But it doesn’t come close to the record, when 2011 saw a whopping 71 days of 100 degrees or more, said Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Dallas-Fort Worth recorded a streak of 21 consecutive 100-degree days, which ended when highs dropped into the 90s Aug. 14. That marked the 6th longest streak on record, tying with last year. The record was set in 1980, when North Texas recorded 42 consecutive 100-degree days.

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2. When will it cool down?

Unfortunately, no relief is in sight. This week is expected to remain well above 100. The forecast calls for highs Thursday and Friday to reach 106 and 108 degrees.

On average, North Texas gets its first solid cold front of the season in the second half of September, with lows typically dipping to 60 degrees by Sept. 17, according to the weather service. The average first freeze comes Nov. 22.

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Parts of the state, including Brownsville and Houston, could see some rain this week as a result of Tropical Cyclone Hilary in the Gulf of Mexico.

3. Is this heat breaking any other records?

Dallas-Fort Worth is closing in on one record: the number of days recorded at or above 105 degrees. As of Monday, the region has had 20 such days. The record was set in 1980, with 28.

4. What is the highest temperature ever recorded in Dallas-Fort Worth?

The highest temperature ever recorded in Dallas-Fort Worth came in 1980, according to the weather service. On June 26 and 27 that year, the temperature reached 113 degrees.

5. Want to escape?

Texas is roasting, but there are some cooler spots in the U.S. Highs in Portland, Maine are hovering in the 70s. A nonstop flight on American Airlines will run you $353, which is beginning to sound like a bargain.

Staff writer Zaeem Shaikh contributed to this report.