After a record-setting day for Emporia’s high temperatures, similar conditions are expected Sunday.
High temperatures Saturday hit 112 at the Emporia Municipal Airport, beating the prior daily record high of 102 set in 2003. In fact, the airport had the daily record surpassed before noon, when temperatures hit 104.
If there was any consolation, heat index readings were actually lower than the air temperature, peaking at 110.
For Emporia, it was the hottest day since August 2, 2011, and just missed the city’s unofficial record high of 115 set July 14, 1954.
Eureka’s Milliken Airport got as high as 109 with a peak heat index reading of 110 Saturday. That tops the previous daily high of 106 degrees set in 1936.
Eureka’s records date earlier than Emporia’s, reflecting the heat of the Great Depression, whereas Emporia’s records only go back to 1950. Eureka’s all-time high is 120 degrees on July 18, 1936.
With the record temperature comparisons in mind from Saturday, records could be reset again Sunday. Emporia is projected to hit 108, which would top the 103-degree mark set in 2001. Eureka is set to hit 107, which would break the 105-degree high on the books since 2011.
The Weather Service also says this could well be the longest period of high temperatures at or above 100 degrees since 2011, with highs now expected to be at or above 100 through Friday before temperatures approach 90 for Saturday.
