The Jamestown Sun
Hot weather will remain in the forecast for the next several days although a break in the temperatures and humidity levels should come by midweek, said Daryl Ritchison, staff meteorologist for Forum Communications Co.
The mercury hit 95 Monday, which is expected again today and Wednesday, but Thursday and Friday temperatures are expected to be near 85 degrees. The normal high in Jamestown this time of year is 84 degrees.
"Wednesday night a cold front will come through," he said. "There won't be much of a change in temperatures but it will lower the humidity. What people will notice is that the amount of moisture in the air, the comfort level, will greatly improve."
The cold front also brings a chance of thunderstorms Wednesday night.
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In the meantime, the short-term forecasts are for temperatures in the mid-90s with dew points between 70 and 75 degrees.
"This is typical weather for Alabama this time of year," Ritchison said. "Although most years we will go through a spell like this. Last summer we had stretches of hot weather but we didn't have the humidity. Still, it is a rare summer when we don't have a stretch of humid weather."
Ritchison said it is also weather that needs to be taken seriously.
"The young and the elderly have the most problems," he said. "Check up on older people, especially those that don't have air conditioning."
And while North Dakotans can usually handle tough weather, they are often better prepared for winter cold than summer heat.
"Use common sense in the heat," Ritchison said. "We have a tendency to use more common sense about 30 below than hundred-degree heat indexes."
Basic precautions for dealing with the hot weather include drinking plenty of water, staying in air- conditioned areas if possible, avoid overexertion and making sure pets and livestock have shade and water.
"Take it seriously," Ritchison said. "This is the kind of weather that killed a lot of people in Chicago back in the '90s."
