Extreme heat to bake parts of the country

[Guest guest]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/14/heat.wave/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Extreme heat to bake parts of the country

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 14, 2011 12:46 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- Searing temperatures kept a firm grip on more than a handful of

southern states Thursday as forecasters warned of new areas of excessive heat

for the weekend.

The number of states under heat advisories has diminished to seven. At its peak,

the heat wave spread from the Plains to the Northeast, covering more than 20

states.

The National Weather Service is forecasting new hot spots in sections of Kansas,

Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

The Weather Service said warm and moist air " in concert with clear skies will

allow temperatures to rise " to 100 degrees and will allow heat indices to

surpass 105 degrees through at least Monday.

The heat wave across the South is forecast to build north over the weekend.

Extreme heat indices -- which include heat and humidity -- are expected to reach

up to 116 degrees in Minneapolis next week. " These are extreme

out-of-the-ordinary temperatures for Minnesota, " CNN meteorologist

said.

Nowhere has the heat been more persistent than Oklahoma.

In Norman, McBee said he was able to fry an egg on the dashboard of his

car, using just the heat of the car's interior, which was 181 degrees.

" I tried it; I didn't think it would work, " said McBee. " It's been this hot

before. ... I (fried an egg) last year where I just did it on the concrete. "

In Little Rock, Arkansas, Truman Tolefree, director of the city's Parks and

Recreation Department, said to beat the heat, " people are flocking to our pools

in big numbers. "

City officials have also designated the city's three community centers as

" cooling centers, " Tolefree said. " It's a place to rest, where you can get water

and enjoy a cool relaxed, controlled environment, " he said.

Woodfin, owner of Orleagian Snowball in Atlanta, said it's been so hot

outside that he's had to increase staffing so that his customers don't melt in

the sun.

" People are just trying to cool down, so yeah, they're coming to the snowball

stand. We have a lot of customers that are requesting tents and umbrellas, " he

said.

Dangerous heat is expected across parts of northern Texas through Thursday

evening, according to the Weather Service. Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and

other areas will experience afternoon heat indices of 105 degrees or more

through Thursday.

Other areas sweltering under heat advisories are parts of Arkansas, Louisiana,

Mississippi, and Oklahoma. A small area of Georgia including Savannah and a

small area of South Carolina including Hilton Head are also under advisories.

Kansas City, Missouri and Wichita, Kansas as well as Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska

are among the cities under an Excessive Heat Watch for Friday and the weekend.

In Lawton, Oklahoma and Wichita Falls, Texas shot past the 100 mark for the

area's 15th consecutive day of triple-digit heat Wednesday.

High demand for water amid the heat wave and problems with soil shrinking as the

ground warms have resulted in burst pipes and low water pressure in Oklahoma

City. Officials issued mandatory water-use restrictions for the first time in at

least a decade, according to utilities department spokeswoman Debbie Ragan.

More than 200 people have suffered from heat-related emergencies in Tulsa and

Oklahoma City since June 17, when the agency issued its first heat alert, said

Lara O'Leary, spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority of

Oklahoma.

The heat claimed the life of a 51-year-old man in Granite City, Illinois, on

Sunday.

In Oklahoma City, forecasters are calling for nearly another full week of

temperatures near or above 100 degrees, threatening to break a 1936 record for

22 consecutive days of such heat.

Forecasters say people should limit outdoor activity during the hottest portions

of the day, wear lightweight clothing, drink plenty of water and be watchful for

signs of heat exhaustion, which include heavy sweating, pale and clammy skin,

weak pulse, fainting and vomiting.

[Guest guest]

There's a very powerful La Nina in the Pacific right now, one that is probably as strong or stronger than the one that brought on the Dust Bowl. I spoke to the folks in Alabama today and they are 20 inches of rain short for the year. Fields are dying and grass for the cattle is also dying. They are having to use a government insurance program to buy feed for their cattle for the first time pretty much ever. They've had to buy feed before as a supplement, but not out of dire necessity.

Lots of cropland is going to die because of this and food prices will shoot up. Its already expected that 30% of the wheat crop will die and that's going to clobber bread prices. With so much acreage going to Ethanol, there isn't a lot of slack in the supply system, so this could get rough.

In a message dated 7/14/2011 5:01:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

The heat wave across the South is forecast to build north over the weekend. Extreme heat indices -- which include heat and humidity -- are expected to reach up to 116 degrees in Minneapolis next week. "These are extreme out-of-the-ordinary temperatures for Minnesota," CNN meteorologist said.