An afternoon rain cooled temperatures in Warren County yesterday, but not before it reached 100 degrees with a heat index of 111, according to AccuWeather.
Temperatures are expected to reach 96 today with a similar heat index of 111, AccuWeather says. That’s well above the normal temperature for this date, which averages 84 degrees.
The sweltering heat drove people indoors and encouraged others like Alma Sweeney and Katelyn Watson to seek relief with a water hose. The two girls took turns soaking each other before eventually battling for control of the hose.
Warren County is not alone. The temperature reached 101 in Toledo, Ohio yesterday, breaking a record set in 1930.
In southern Michigan, thousands of homes and businesses lost power yesterday as people strained services by cranking up air conditioner use.
Baltimore, Annapolis and several other Maryland cities opened public cooling centers, and Allentown, Pa., waived fees at public pools to give residents places to cool off.
In normally cooler Northern states, the heat index topped 119 degrees in Minneapolis, and it felt like 105 degrees in Madison, Wis. It made some residents of those areas long for winter temperatures that plunge well below zero.