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Heatwave blisters Midwest
01/08/2006 08:44 - (SA)
Chicago - The blowtorch heat that blistered California last week gripped the Midwest, prompting communities to throw air-conditioned buildings open to the public and endangering millions of people with outdoor jobs.
Temperatures throughout the Midwest and Plains rose into the upper mid-30s° on Monday and in some places exceeded 38°. The heat index, a measure of temperature plus humidity, climbed as high as 43°. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings for such cities as Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Midwest could get some relief by Wednesday, but the worst of the heat was expected to drift into the Northeast on Tuesday, bringing scorching temperatures to New York, Washington and Boston.
In California, the sweltering heat that punished the state for two weeks subsided, but the number of confirmed or suspected heat-related deaths climbed to 164 as county coroners worked through a backlog of cases.
Cities across the Midwest urged neighbours to check on the elderly and disabled. Utilities expected to set records for power usage and asked customers to conserve electricity to prevent blackouts.
Special telephone line
About 110 large industrial customers in Wisconsin had their electricity turned off because of the heightened demand.
In Chicago, officials made available a special telephone line to request checks on vulnerable neighbours and friends. The department of human services and police responded to nearly 50 such requests by early on Monday.
The Cook County medical examiner's office reported two heat-related deaths on Monday. Both victims were men in their 50s or 60s with heart disease.
In Oklahoma, authorities reported two more deaths that happened at the weekend. In Missouri, officials announced that a 71-year-old woman had died during the weekend in St Louis.
In Nebraska, high temperatures, a drought and strong winds combined to feed enormous wildfires near the town of Harrison.
- AP
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