Mercury rises, record falls

Southeast Missouri has a new standard by which to judge heat waves. Thursday marked the 29th day that the temperature reached at least 90 degrees, breaking the record set in 1983.

Outdoor workers all across the region have had to adjust. Others, however, have had no trouble keeping their cool.

For the last 25 years, Marty Pope, a dairy/frozen foods manager at Schnucks in Cape Girardeau, gets to spend a third of his day in subzero temperatures.

Though stacking pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and other frozen treats into the 20-below-zero ice cream freezer may seem like a blissful vocation during the sizzling summer temperatures, Pope said the job is not without drawbacks.

The worst part is the transition at the end of the day from a concrete floor sparkling with ice crystals to pavement so hot it practically sizzles, Pope said.

Mindy Best worked in the deli cooler at Schnucks where the temperature was 42 degrees on Thursday. (Fred Lynch)

"The heat hits you like a ton of bricks when you step outside," he said.

Pope tries to get in and out of the freezer as quickly as possible.

"It doesn't get balmy by any means," he said.

While Pope said he toughs it out in short sleeves year-round, John Huckabee, a meat cutter for Schnucks, wears long sleeves every day to shield himself from the six or seven hours he works slicing, dicing and grinding meat in the 34-degree preparation room of the butcher's section.

"The heat will drain you a little bit when you leave," he said.

Schnucks' utility bills have spiked about 50 percent over the past three months, due to the Herculean effort of keeping the freezers frosty, said co-manager Jon Townsend.

Some suppliers, such as Russell Stover, won't ship their product if the temperature rises above 90, Townsend said.

Weak front coming

While a weak cool front expected to blow in Sunday may provide a little relief for those people without polar work environments, Thursday's temperatures raised warnings for the region.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., issued a red flag warning, meaning the arid conditions and gusty southwest winds create a dangerous breeding ground for "explosive fires." The red flag warning instructs people to be careful about discarding cigarettes or using any equipment that could set off sparks because it wouldn't take much to trigger a fire.

The warning began Thursday afternoon, continuing through 8 p.m., and will resume this afternoon into this evening.

The heat wave continues today, as the heat index is expected to reach 100 to 105 this afternoon. It rose as high as 103 on Thursday.

The National Weather Service cautions people to take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water and avoid extensive outdoor activities.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245