IT'S HOT: SWELTERING HEAT WON'T LET UP SOON

Horrid heat and humidity rule the Southeast Missouri weather forecast this week.

The same hot-weather system that is baking Texas and Oklahoma has spread into the Mississippi River Valley, said Paul Witsaman, meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Paducah, Ky.

"Now we're baking in the same high-pressure system that has been baking the Southern and Central Plains for the last two weeks," Witsaman said.

Temperatures here through Wednesday are expected to be in the mid-to upper 90s. They could reach 100 in some areas.

"It will definitely be hot and dry, especially west of the Mississippi, through Wednesday," Witsaman said. "We could perhaps see a slight cool-off later in the week when temperatures could be in the low to mid-90s instead of the mid- to upper 90s."

In Cape Girardeau, the high Monday was 95. It reached 96 on Sunday and 93 Saturday.

With humidity of more than 50 percent, heat indexes have reached 105 or higher each day, high enough to prompt a heat advisory for the region. The heat index reflects how hot it feels when air temperature and humidity are considered.

On Sunday, the heat index in Cape Girardeau reached 108 degrees.

Southeast Missouri Hospital reported one heat-related illness, and St. Francis Medical Center reported none. Two heat-related illnesses were reported in Cape Girardeau County last week.

In Missouri, one death and 221 illnesses related to heat have been confirmed this year.

"We can't stress enough the seriousness of this situation," said Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department. "This isn't a joke."

"The longer you are exposed, the more comprised your entire system becomes," she said. "Infants, the elderly and chronically ill are even at higher risk."

Like people, animals are at risk, she said.

If people don't have air conditioning, windows should be open and the air circulating. Family members should check on people without air conditioners, Craig said.

Fans are available at no cost through the Salvation Army. Jackie Thieke, who coordinates the fan program, gave out 20 fans Monday.

"Mostly we have people without air conditioning coming in," she said. "We have a few people who have one fan and are wanting to get another."

Thieke said a large number of fans have been donated through a program publicized on television.

Cape Girardeau Public Library closed Monday after the air-conditioning unit broke down. The temperature inside the building was 90 degrees.

Betty Martin, library director, said the library would reopen when the air conditioning is repaired.

Martin wasn't the only person waiting on air-conditioning repairs. Local air-conditioning services said phones were busy Monday. People are calling because air-conditioning units have stopped working or aren't working at full capacity.

Gail Halbert of Halbert Inc. said the heat takes a toll on air-conditioning units.

"It is especially hard on units if they haven't been serviced properly," Halbert said. "If the filters are dirty, this heat will really overload them."

Halbert said the business has had a backlog of service calls for a month. "It's kind of tough sometimes trying to set priorities," she said. "We try to do those with no air conditioning at all and the elderly first."

Jeanne Wallace of Flori Sales and Service said business is brisk. "We are doing our best to keep up with the calls," she said. "But there seem to be a lot of people out there without air conditioning."