Dangerous early season extreme heat is on tap for parts of Texas this week in a prelude to what’s expected to be an abnormally hot summer nationwide.

Sweltering heat more commonly seen in the throes of summer than in the spring was making an unwelcome visit this week to a large portion of the U.S. – from the Dakotas to Texas and other parts of the South – and putting millions of Americans on alert for potentially dangerous temperatures.

STORY: It’s still weeks before the start of summer, but temperatures in parts of Texas have already reached record highs. On Wednesday afternoon, heat in Austin reached a daily record high of 99 degrees Fahrenheit.