HEAT MAINTAINS GRIP; AT LEAST 27 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN STATE

Anyone who has ventured outside in the past two weeks knows the heat is extreme, and the oppressive heat like that of Thursday isn't going away any time soon.

A heat advisory for Southeast Missouri has been extended until Saturday. The heat index in Cape Girardeau reached 119 at about 3 p.m. Thursday with a high of 98 degress at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Temperatures topped the century mark elsewhere in the city and at many locations across the region.

More high-90s temperatures can be expected through the weekend.

At least 27 people have died in Missouri during the past two weeks from heat-related causes.

Last year 12 people died due to the heat.

A Sikeston man, Roland Waters, 64, was found dead Sunday in his home. He had no air conditioning, and the heat is being blamed for his death. A Gordonville man, Leeman Earl Gerecke, 69, died Monday from heat causes.

Two elderly St. Louis men were found dead in their homes. They had fans running, but their air conditioners were not being used.

Walter Denton, assistant to the city manager, said he could not imagine why people with air conditioners would choose not to use them.

"I can't speculate on why people choose to stay in their hot houses when they do have choices," Denton said.

Denton said maybe people are wanting to save money. But in an attempt to save money they are putting themselves in grave danger. Fans in an enclosed area can actually increase the risk to heat stress. When the temperature rises, the fan may be blowing overheated air to the body at a rate faster than the body's capacity to get rid of the heat. The effect is adding heat rather than cooling off the body.

Denton said if people do not want to spend the money themselves on electricity there are options: They can go to the mall or they can go to the American Red Cross heat shelters at Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau or the New McKendree United Methodist Church Fellowship at 225 N. Main St. in Jackson.

But no one has used the facilities to date, and the shelters have been open for three weeks. If people have problems driving to them, Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, has limited transportation available.

"People don't have to choose to stay in their house without air conditioning," Denton said. "There are places to go."

It isn't as if each day has brought record highs. Instead, it is the overall averages accompanied by high humidity that have made it so hot.

Alfred Robertson, a former professor of earth sciences at Southeast Missouri State University, said the overall averages lately have been between 82 and 84 degress. The norm is about 79 degrees.

Higher average temperatures mean longer periods of hot weather each day, he said.

Robertson said currently Southeast Missouri has had 14 consecutive days of 90 degrees or hotter weather. Southeast Missourian records of readings at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport show that one of those days was 89 degrees. But in another part of Cape Girardeau, the temperature likely exceeded 90 degrees on that day. The record for consecutive 90-degree days is 29, which was set in 1952, Robertson said.

Forecasters aren't predicting an end to the heat soon.

The best advice is to stay indoors in the air conditioning. Use caution when going outdoors, and make sure to drink a lot of caffeine-free beverages. Also watch for warning signs of heat exhaustion such as dizziness, nausea, paleness and muscle cramps.

Heat stroke can develop in minutes or hours. Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to cool itself and the body's temperature rises. Emergency treatment is necessary for heat stroke.

There are two types of heat stroke. One is classic heat stroke that is more common among older people and infants and does not involve exertion. The other is external heat stroke, which is most common among younger people engaging in rigorous exercises and avoiding proper precautions.

The heat will continue at least through the weekend.

"There was some dry air that moved in and got rid of the clouds," Doug Boyette, a forecaster with the National Weather Service at Paducah, Ky., said of Thursday's heat. "With virtually no clouds and full sunshine, that allowed the temperature to rise."

JULY TEMPS

Highs and lows recorded at the airport in July:

16 -- 90, 67

17 -- 89, 71

18 -- 81, 71

19 -- 92, 71

20 -- 93, 74

21 -- 93, 77

22 -- 96, 74

23 -- 97, 74

24 -- 100, 75

25 -- 95, 70

26 -- 97, 71

27 -- 93, 72

28 -- 91, 69

29 -- 98, --