The heat is on in the KVOE listening area and its not going anywhere any time soon.
In fact, the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties until 9 pm Friday evening. A warning also continues for Chase and Greenwood counties until 11 pm Friday.
The forecast high could reach as high as 101 Thursday. Heat index readings reached as high as 106 before dropping back down to 105 around 3 pm. Air temperatures in the upper 90’s and heat index readings as high as 107 were noted in Emporia Wednesday.
Residents are reminded to drink plenty of water and stay in air conditioning as much as possible. If you work outdoors, take frequent breaks and shift the work schedule so the heaviest activity happens in the morning or evening. Don’t leave children or pets in vehicles.
1 pm Thursday: WEATHER: Emporia heat index above 100 well before noon; AAA offers tips for safe travels
How hot is it Thursday?
Well, Emporia’s heat index reading went above 100 degrees as air temperatures went above 90 before 10 am. The local heat index reading went above 105 degrees before noon.
The forecast high could reach 101 here after air temperatures peaked at 97 and heat index readings got to 107 for Emporia on Wednesday.
Heat alerts continue for the KVOE listening area into Friday evening. Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties are in a heat advisory until 9 pm Friday. Chase and Greenwood counties are in a heat warning until 11 pm Friday.
Be sure to drink lots of water and stay in air conditioning as long as possible. If you work outside, take frequent breaks and shift the work schedule so the heaviest activity happens in the morning or evening. Don’t leave children or pets in vehicles.
Speaking of vehicles…
The oppressive heat over the past week is already having a negative impact on vehicles.
Kansas AAA spokesman Shawn Steward says batteries and tires have issues in the extreme heat. In the case of batteries, they could also be having problems dating back to the extreme cold we had in February.
Meanwhile, underinflated tires can lead to overheating and possible blowouts. Steward also urges people to be proactive in checking coolants and refrigerants.
Steward says Kansas AAA plans to respond to almost 30,000 emergency service calls in Kansas, and that’s just from AAA members.
