After one of the worst summers on record in terms of hot weather, the Southern tier of the United States just can’t catch a break as record-setting heat is expected to continue to prevail in the South through the end of October.

Daily temperatures will soar into the 80s and 90s — warm enough to set daily record highs in Mississippi. These numbers are between 10 and 15 degrees above average for October.

Vicksburg hit 91 degrees on Monday, marking a record for the month.

September 2023 was Earth’s warmest September since the National Weather Service began recordkeeping 174 years ago.  The average global temperature for September was 2.59 degrees above the 20th-century average of 59 degrees.

Additionally, 2023 is shaping up to be the warmest year in NOAA’s global climate record.

With record-breaking temperatures comes billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. For this year-to-date period, the first nine months of 2023 rank highest for disaster count across the country.

The total cost of the 2023 events exceeds $67.1 billion. In the Southern and Midwestern states, a billion-dollar disaster comes in the form of a drought.

The drought has brought about reduced crop production, especially in cotton and hay, lowered river levels which interfere with tourism, cause saltwater encroachment and affect the ability to move products up and down the river, not to mention the ever-present risk of wildfires.

Looking forward to the 10-day forecast, more seasonal temperatures look to be returning to Vicksburg with highs in the 60s making a comeback by the first week in November. However, there is virtually no chance of rain to remedy the drought in the 10-day outlook.