AccuWeather.com

By Brian Edwards, Meteorologist

Aug 8, 2011; 6:05 AM ET

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"There is still no sign of any moisture getting into these drought-stricken areas."

The deadly heat that has been plaguing Texas and much of the southern part of the country will persist through at least this week, and perhaps beyond.

The persistent ridge of high pressure which has been centered over the southern Plains will shift a little more to the south and west into early next week. While this will bring some cooling to the northern part of the country, it will not bring much, if any, relief to Texas.

Texas continues to suffer from extreme drought due to the dry conditions which have affected some areas since the beginning of the year. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme drought is found across approximately 91.7 percent of the state with nearly 100 percent of the state facing some stage of drought.

Not only are there problems with the agricultural aspect of everyday life across Texas, but multiple deaths are also being attributed to the heat.

Athlete deaths are up this year due to the record heat, and it may only get worse as more football camps open throughout the South next week.

The heat may also be responsible for an 18-car Union Pacific train derailment in rural East Texas. The derailment occurred Thursday afternoon, but it may take until Saturday before the cars are cleared. Luckily, no one was injured in the accident. Investigators are saying that the 109-degree temperatures in the area could have led to the de-buckling of the track.

Reservoir levels are running extremely low, and restrictions are already in place across much of North Texas. The North Texas Municipal Water District has activated measures to reduce usage by as much as 5 percent.

Lake levels are suffering as well, with boat ramps on Lake Arlington near Fort Worth closed due to low water levels.

Some of the lakes and reservoir levels across northern Texas are running below 50 percent of capacity.

The bad news, as mentioned above, is that even though the area of high pressure is shifting south and west, there is still no sign of any moisture getting into these drought-stricken areas.

Expert Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski states that "Most people in Texas and neighboring areas may have to wait until fall for lasting relief from the heat.