The ongoing campaign by Climate Impact Company promoting marine heatwaves as catalysts to drought and heat continues. Summer of 2026 has certainly produced two extreme examples: 1.) The Western Europe heatwaves and 2.) The Western U.S. heatwaves.

AI WX Next 2 is used to identify the emerging Europe heatwave this week spreading eastward next week. ECM ENS is used in the 11-15-day period maintaining a Southern Europe heatwave. The Southern Europe heatwave is likely to persist through August.

The East Pacific basin is active including Hurricane Fausto east-northeast of Hawaii and Category-5 Major Hurricane Genevieve, the first category-5 major hurricane since 2024. Genevieve is intense due to passage over an immense marine heatwave. Latent heat release from Genevieve forces a high amplitude high pressure ridge cresting over the Southwest U.S. this weekend. Each system tracks west-northwestward weakening the second half of this week.

ERCOT System record demand this week is likely eclipsed by a substantially hotter weather day occurring late JUL/early AUG based on the latest 15-day ERCOT population weight daily average temperature forecast. During late July Dallas roars to 106F and Houston 101F guaranteeing a much hotter system temperature average compared to the past few days.