DALLAS — The extreme North Texas heat has been unrelenting: Day after day of triple-digit temperatures, with few relief in sight, even when the sun goes down.
The weather, apparently, didn't get the memo that it's football season.
North Texas high schools kicked off the season Thursday night, and more games are being held Friday night, too, including Argyle vs. Melissa on WFAA+ at 8 p.m.
And you'll noticed with the game in Melissa, and others across the area, the start time is a bit later than normal. That's because many schools have pushed back kickoff by 30 minutes to an hour to avoid playing in the sun and hot temperatures.
But a later start time only avoids the sun, not the heat.
At just before midnight Thursday, the heat index in Dallas was still at 100, according to National Weather Service data from Love Field airport.
And a few hours earlier, when teams kicked off around 8 p.m., it felt like 104 degrees.
The same will be the case for Friday night's matchups: In Saginaw, where Boswell and Saginaw High are playing, the heat index is expected to be 105 at kickoff and 102 at 10 p.m.
The Arlington Independent School District is holding games at Choctaw Stadium, the old Rangers ballpark, this week. Their training staff told WFAA on Thursday that their top priority is making sure no one suddenly gets sick in the heat.
In some cases, becoming sick from overexposure to the sun and hot temperatures can happen in an instant.
"It definitely will sneak up on you," the district's athletic trainer, Steve Guadalupe, said. "Obviously, the biggest things that we preach to our student athletes is great nutrition and hydration."