From cold towels to early dismissal, people are finding ways to cope with a 2nd day of heat wave

By James On Aug 27, 2024

CHICAGO– Secondly straight day As temperatures soared above triple digits across much of the Midwest on Tuesday, residents looked for ways to stay cool and indoors.

Darrell Taylor, 61, has no air conditioning in his apartment on Chicago’s West Side, where temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. He described it as feeling like an oven. Running two fans didn’t improve the situation.

“I put a cold towel on my face. It only works a little bit,” he said before retreating to a relative’s air-conditioned home.

The National Weather Service issued extreme heat warnings and advisories Tuesday for much of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The weather service warned of “dangerously hot conditions” and predicted heat index values — which take temperature and relative humidity into account and indicate how warm it feels outside — of up to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations, including Chicago.

But improvements were expected soon, as lower temperatures are expected from Wednesday.

“The heat will still persist across the center of the country, but much cooler air will move in toward the end of the month,” said Josh Weiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Many cities, including Chicago, opened cooling centers. Some schools scheduled early closures because of the heat. A zoo in Indiana shortened its hours. And a church in Chicago collected thousands of bottles of chilled water for a giveaway.

Numerous schools in Ohio had planned early closures on Tuesday and Wednesday due to expected heat, while some schools canceled classes because of power outages. Schools in Chicago began the school year as scheduled this week, but administrators announced that outdoor sports were canceled through Tuesday. Some schools in the Chicago suburbs had planned early closures. Dozens of schools in Philadelphia without adequate air conditioning also had planned early closures on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Members of St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side collected more than 4,000 bottles of water to give away on Tuesday.

“Given the expected temperatures, we need to be careful to stay hydrated and cool when possible,” said Pastor Michael Pfleger.

In other places, residents were warned against using long-term methods to stay cool.

Officials in Kalamazoo in southwest Michigan, where temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit, asked residents to stop turning on fire hydrants.

“There has been a significant increase in unauthorized private fire hydrant use in the City of Kalamazoo,” the city said on X, formerly Twitter. “Some citizens are taking it upon themselves to open fire hydrants. Please be aware that opening and closing fire hydrants can cause serious injury.”

Much of northern and eastern Missouri was under a heat warning Tuesday. High temperatures in St. Louis were expected to approach 100 degrees, with a slight risk of storms. The region, accustomed to warm, muggy August weather, largely took the heat in its stride, with few cancellations.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, a line of powerful thunderstorms with high winds moved across the state, causing widespread power outages and tree damage. The Minnesota State Fair in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights opened two hours late Tuesday morning so fair officials could assess the damage and clear debris. Rides on the Midway were temporarily shut down.

Wind gusts of up to 64 mph were reported in St. Paul, the National Weather Service reported. Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest electric utility, said more than 144,000 of its customers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were still without power as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

In Indiana, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo announced it will close at 3 p.m. Tuesday due to extreme heat, according to the zoo’s Facebook page.

The zoo also provided tips on staying cool from its own expert, Penny the ostrich.

“Flap and fan your wings to keep cool,” the zoo said in a post with Penny photos. “Use your long, flexible neck to better regulate your head temperature.”

Associated Press reporters Corey Williams in Detroit, Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.