Hot temperatures may persist until Thursday

Hot weather is back again, and temperatures are higher than normal.

Meteorologist Kelly Hooper of the National Weather Service’s office in Paducah, Kentucky, said temperatures should stay in the 90s for most of the week.

“[Temperatures are] above normal, five or so degrees above normal. And it will probably persist until about Thursday,” he said. “Then a cold front is probably going to move in.”

That should knock temperatures back into the normal range of about 87 degrees.

“Ninety-five degrees, I think, will be the highest we’ve seen so far,” he said of the week’s forecast.

“Today, yesterday were both 95 degrees, and the two days before that were 94 degrees,” he sad Monday.

Hooper said the heat also likely will bring storms throughout the week.

“That’s what makes a thunderstorm develop, the heating of the Earth,” he said. “That’s what causes all weather.”

Senior citizens and those susceptible to hot weather in the region can beat the heat at cooling stations, including the Benton Riverside Regional Library, Cape Girardeau Public Library, Cape Girardeau Senior Center, Chaffee Library, Salvation Army of Cape Girardeau, Scott City Branch Library, Scott City Senior Nutrition Center, Senior Services of Chaffee, Jackson Senior Center and Riverside Regional Library in Jackson.

Residents also are welcome to cool down in the common areas of the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau free of charge.

“Typically, the way we do it is that people can come into our facility during regular hours. We don’t have an assigned area or anything, but if they need to cool down, they can come in,” Osage Centre recreation supervisor Heather Davis said. “We haven’t had anyone come in to utilize our common areas yet, but they’re welcome to at any time.”

Residents also are urged to bring pets indoors and ensure they have access to adequate water.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627