AUSTIN, Texas — “Welcome to the heat dome, y’all,” Austin-based energy consultant Alison Silverstein said during a panel discussion at NARUC’s Summer Policy Summit, acknowledging the sizzling temperatures outside that had the Texas capital city under an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m.

Temperatures in Austin topped out at 105 degrees Fahrenheit, helping ERCOT to again set a record for hourly peak demand when load averaged 82.03 GW during the hour ending at 4 p.m. That broke the record set Monday when demand averaged 81.91 GW during the 6 p.m. hour.

Demand averaged 82.54 GW during the hour ending at 5 p.m., raising the previous high.

Temperatures are forecast to remain above 100 degrees in much of the state into next week. ERCOT’s six-day forecast projects demand to approach 84 GW Wednesday and exceed 80 GW through Friday.

The record came on the last day of ERCOT’s third weather watch of the season. The grid operator says it’s continuing to operate the grid conservatively and bringing generating resources online early in case of sudden changes in generation or demand.

ERCOT had more than 7,000 MW of operating reserves available late Tuesday afternoon.

With the new peak, the ISO’s hourly average demand now has exceeded 80 GW 23 times this summer. It reached that mark once last year.

Average prices were less than $30/MWh Tuesday, a sign that congestion was not an issue.