Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 18 July 2019
U.S. heat wave just warming up for long and scorching weekend

By COREY WILLIAMS and The Chicago suburb of Or-
SETH BORENSTEIN land Park also opened its
Associated Press police station as its primary
DETROIT (AP) — The heat 24-hour cooling center.
wave that has been roast- Kelly Boeckman, 31,
ing much of the U.S. in re- and Taylor Knoll, 28, met
cent days is just getting Wednesday morning —
warmed up, with tempera- when the heat was still
tures expected to soar to bearable — to chat at a
dangerous levels through patio table in downtown
the weekend. Jefferson City, Missouri.
Communities are prepar- Both have young children
ing by offering buildings as and said they are careful to
cooling centers and ask- keep them hydrated and
ing residents to check in on protected from the heat.
relatives and neighbors. Of- "We definitely aren't doing
ficials also are concerned outside activities for the af-
about smog, which is exac- ternoon and evening, even
erbated by the heat and though they want to some-
makes it more difficult for times," said Boeckman,
certain people to breathe, who has 6-year-old twins
including the very young, and a 3 year old. They're
the elderly and people with "playing early, (getting) lots
asthma or lung diseases. of water and hydration,
More than 100 local heat (and) staying in the shade
records are expected to when we are outside."
fall Saturday, according to Steve Owen, a 54-year-old
the National Weather Ser- bus driver from Roeland
vice. Most won't be record- Park, Kansas, dumped wa-
daily highs but record-high ter on his head to stay cool
nighttime lows, and that Wednesday while wait-
lack of cooling can be ing to pick up a day care
dangerous, meteorologists group from the local pool.
say. Temperatures in parts "I'm usually revived and
of the East won't drop be- feeling much better," he
low the mid- to upper-70s said after drenching him-
or even 80 degrees (26.7 self. "That usually gets me
Celsius) at night, he said. through."
The heat wave will likely The heat also can take a
be "short and searing," toll on pets and other ani-
said Greg Carbin, forecast mals. Officials at the Brook-
branch chief for the weath- Russ Wilson splashes water on his face from a fountain in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. The field Zoo near Chicago
er service's Weather Predic- heat wave that has been roasting much of the U.S. in recent days is just getting warmed up, with have spent the past few
tion Center. temperatures expected to soar to dangerous levels through the weekend. days preparing.
A high pressure system Associated Press Blocks of ice weighing
stretching from coast-to- about 300 pounds (136
coast is keeping the heat that nearly 100 local re- frozen water in the refrig- and lived alone. kilograms) were being
turned on. The heat and cords will be broken Thurs- erator. At night, we're in the "Daytime hours when the trucked in for the polar and
humidity are made to feel day and Friday in Texas, house." sun is out is clearly our high- grizzly bears, and the zoo
worse by the large amount Oklahoma, parts of the Even that may not provide est risk periods," said Dr. planned to give ice cubes
of moisture in the air com- Midwest and a large swath enough relief for some, es- Michael Kaufmann, EMS to the reindeer. Additional
ing from the Gulf of Mexico, of the East Coast. On Satur- pecially for young children, medical director with the animals were being given
much of it left over from day, 101 records could fall the elderly or people with Indiana Department of access to indoor quarters
Hurricane Barry. in an area stretching from certain chronic illnesses. Homeland Security. "We're starting Thursday.
The heat index, which is Texas to Iowa and east to The Environmental Protec- not expecting the drops "The welfare of the animals
what the temperature feels Maine and Florida, accord- tion Agency's live air qual- in temperature at night — is our top priority," said zoo
like, should hit 110 (43.3 Cel- ing to projections. ity tracker reported that or the humidity — that we spokeswoman Sondra Kat-
sius) in Washington, D.C., on Deloris Knight said she will the air was "unhealthy" often realize when the sun zen.
Saturday and 109 (42.8 Cel- keep the heat out of her Wednesday for sensitive goes down." The same is true at the Lin-
sius) in Chicago and Detroit eastside Detroit home by groups in a stretch of the Roger Axe, who heads the coln Park Zoo in Chicago,
on Friday, said Jeff Mas- keeping her doors and cur- East Coast from Baltimore emergency management where some animals have
ters, meteorology director tains closed while running to Bridgeport, Connecticut, agency in Indiana's Greene cooling stations in their
of Weather Underground. the small window air condi- including Philadelphia and County, said he has asked enclosures and space off-
Wednesday marked Wash- tioner in her living room. New York City. churches and other organi- exhibit where they can go
ington's seventh straight "We have a couple of big Such heat can be dead- zations to open their doors to cool down, said general
day with temperatures of fans. We have ceiling fans," ly. Over three days in July as "possible lifesaving cool- curator Dave Bernier.
at least 90 degrees (32.2 Knight, 63, said Wednesday 1995, more than 700 people ing centers." "I don't expect it to be much
Celsius), and that streak while enjoying tempera- died during a heat wave in Officials in the Detroit sub- change in attendance," he
was expected to last for tures in the mid-80s (about Chicago as temperatures urb of Westland will keep said. "Once they decide
another five days. 29 degrees Celsius) from rose above 97 degrees the police station lobby they want to go to the zoo
An experimental weather her front porch. "I keep (36.1 Celsius). Many of the and one of its fire stations on the weekend, that's usu-
service forecast projects lemonade and gallons of dead were poor, elderly open around the clock. ally where they go."q