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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 14 august 2019

Dreadful heat, humidity invade South as misery continues

By JEFF MARTIN and JAY Alabama, a piano-playing
REEVES sidewalk evangelist sought
Associated Press refuge from the sun with
ATLANTA (AP) — Stifling two umbrellas — one over
heat smothered states from his head and the other on
Texas to South Carolina on his sunny side.
Tuesday with temperatures Around the corner, artist
that felt like 120 degrees Henry L. McShan sold his
(49 Celsius), making it diffi- watercolor landscapes in a
cult to be outside for long, shady spot beside a park.
much less work or play. Temperatures in Birming-
As the entire Southeast ham were already in the
baked amid heat warn- 90s Tuesday morning and
ings and advisories that topped 100 degrees later.
reached from central Texas "I'm going to be here all
to coastal Georgia, con- day. I've got several bottles
struction workers toiled un- of water. I'm ready for it,"
der a blazing sun in Louisi- said McShan, his face glis-
ana. Alabama's largest city tening with sweat.
opened its auditorium as a It was just as sizzling along
refuge for anyone needing the Gulf Coast in south Ala-
to cool down. bama and along the Flori-
Some schools and coaches da Panhandle. The heat
limited football practice for index hit 117 (47 Celsius)
players getting ready for before noon Tuesday in the
the upcoming season, and Mobile, Alabama, area. Children splash in the new splash pad at Riverview Park in North Augusta, S.C., Monday, August
social media was dotted Pensacola saw a heat in- 12, 2019.Hazardous heat is in the Augusta, Ga., area weather forecast.
with photos showing auto- dex of 115, also before Associated Press
mobile thermometers with noon.
triple-digit readings. The heat index in the hot- was 96 (36 Celsius) at the for visitors to cool down. El- east as the Upstate area of
Forecasters said a cold test areas should be 15 to time, the weather service ephants will be soaked with South Carolina.
front and storms could lead 20 degrees cooler Wednes- said. water cannons and offered In Spartanburg, South Car-
to a slight midweek cool day, according to the In Texas, managers of the frozen treats, said spokes- olina, the Carolina Panthers
down, but for the mean- weather service. state's main electric grid woman Chelsey Norris. and Buffalo Bills practiced
time it was just too hot. Heat exhaustion and heat declared an energy con- In Louisiana, road workers together before a pre-
The National Weather Ser- stroke are prime threats servation emergency and were urged to take pre- season NFL game in Char-
vice said the afternoon during heat waves, ac- asked its customers to dial cautions to protect them- lotte, North Carolina. Over
heat index, a combination cording to the federal Cen- back their thermostats be- selves from the heat, said the weekend, Panthers
of temperature and humid- ters for Disease Control and tween 3 and 7 p.m. Tues- Erin Buchanan, a spokes- coach Ron Rivera had
ity, climbed to 120 degrees Prevention. day because of the ex- woman with the Louisiana some fun with Bills coach
(48.8 Celsius) in Clarksdale, In Kansas, a 2-year-old boy treme heat. The Electric Department of Transporta- Sean McDermott, sending
Mississippi, nearly hitting the died after he was found Reliability Council of Texas tion and Development. a screenshot of the heat
121 degrees (49.4 Celsius) alone in a parked car in the took the action a day after "Every summer, we know index in Spartanburg, South
it felt like Monday . Read- afternoon heat Sunday. It it set an all-time peak de- we're going to encounter Carolina. It showed 110
ings were nearly as high in appears heat played a role mand record. some extreme heat," she degrees (43 Celsius) along
cities including Dyersburg, in the child's death, Law- At the Dallas Zoo, where $1 said. "They know to take with an orange emoji face
Tennessee, and West Mem- rence Police Chief Gregory admission day was expect- multiple breaks. They know dripping with sweat.
phis, Arkansas. Burns Jr. said in a statement ed to draw large crowds, to stay hydrated." "A psychological game," Ri-
In downtown Birmingham, Monday. The heat index misting tents were set up Heat alerts stretched as far vera joked.q