Austin is bracing for a blistering heat wave this week that could shatter daily temperature records and set a new all-time high for the month of May.

Why it matters: Extreme temperatures are a major public health threat and play a role in droughts and wildfires.

• Hot weather, particularly heat waves, also threatens the reliability of our increasingly strained electricity grid.

Driving the news: Triple-digit heat is expected to arrive today, which would mark the city's first 100-degree day of the year — far earlier than average, though not the earliest on record.

• On average, Austin doesn't hit 100° until July 8. The earliest it's ever happened was May 4, back in 1984.

State of play: Forecasters say highs are expected to soar to 105° by midweek, and triple digits will continue through the weekend.

• Tomorrow is expected to be the hottest day of the week, and "we may break an all-time record for May in Austin," National Weather Service meteorologist Emily Heller tells Axios.
• Austin previously hit 104 in May in 1925, according to Heller.

Zoom in: City officials will make libraries, recreation centers and other city buildings available to the public as cooling centers this week.

• Austin also alerted people experiencing homelessness and directed them to cool places.
• NWS recommends Central Texas residents stay out of the sun in the afternoons, keep pets out of parked vehicles, take breaks and stay hydrated.

Context: Human-caused climate change has greatly increased the odds and severity of heat waves and led them to be longer lasting.

What's next: Gear up for another warm and dry summer, Heller says.

• The Climate Prediction Center will release its 3-month outlook today, which will provide an even better understanding of what to expect this summer in Central Texas.

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Memorial Day travel is projected to beat a 20-year-old record high this year, according to new AAA data.

Why it matters: Americans' deep pessimism about the economy isn't deterring them from traveling to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.

• "Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans say they're taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home," AAA said in a statement.

By the numbers: 45.1 million people are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home between May 22 and May 26.

• That would be an increase of 1.4 million travelers from last year and surpass the record 44 million people who traveled in 2005.

Zoom in: 87% of Memorial Day travelers, or 39.4 million people, are choosing to take road trips this year, per AAA.

• Air travel will increase 2% over last year at 3.61 million air passengers but isn't predicted to set a new record.
• 2.1 million people are expected to travel by train, bus or cruise over the holiday weekend.

What we're watching: Summertime airfare costs are currently down.

• Average flight prices dropped 7% year-over-year across more than 100 cities, according to a Kayak report.

🐝 The Austin-based American Honey Bee Protection Agency is asking for help after a fire destroyed equipment and hives just ahead of bee season. (KVUE)

🚧 The city is moving ahead with plans to revitalize two acres of land on East 11th Street, which will bring businesses, restaurants and an African American Cultural Heritage facility to the area. (Austin Monitor)

🚀 Lockheed Martin is fast-tracking X-Bow Systems as a new, independent supplier of solid-rocket motors and other services. X-Bow will open a new energetics campus near Austin soon. (Axios)

Construction workers in the greater Austin area earned on average about $80,000 in 2024, per Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

Why it matters: With ongoing and planned expansions of I-35, the airport and the city's public transportation system, Austin officials are making a big push to train blue-collar workers.

Yes, but: Some of those major projects may be in jeopardy because of federal spending cuts.

Between the lines: Women make up 14% of the mobility and infrastructure workforce in Central Texas, per a 2023 analysis.

What's next: Join us tomorrow morning at the Sunset Room, 310 E. Third St., for a free event looking at workforce development efforts in Central Texas and the big barriers ahead.

• We'll be interviewing Austin Mayor Kirk Watson; Texas 2036 president A.J. Rodriguez; Texas Workforce Commission's Joe Esparza; and Workforce Solutions Capital Area CEO Tamara Atkinson.

📣 RSVP here.

We're marking this heat wave with the return of our 100-degree-day contest.

📬 It's simple: Let us know how many triple-digit days you think Austin will have this year.

• Just reply to this email.

The stakes: The person with the closest guess — to be determined whenever the coast seems clear — will receive some nifty Axios swag.

Vaguely helpful: Last year Austin saw 32 triple-digit days — but in 2023 there were 80 such days.