LITTLE ROCK — The combination of summertime temperatures and unusually high humidity has central Arkansas sweltering at a record pace, meteorologists said Friday.
Little Rock, which has recorded triple-digit temperatures four times this year - including Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - could see its hottest June and July ever, they said.
The heat has resulted in four deaths in Arkansas, including three this week, said Ed Barham, a spokesman with the state Department of Health. He said he could not provide details of the deaths because of privacy laws.
Seven people died of heat-related causes in 2009, Barham said.
Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper said among this year’s heat fatalities was a 51-year-old migrant worker who died Thursday after picking tomatoes in Hermitage. He was flown to a Little Rock hospital, where he died later that day.
“We may catch a break in late August, but it’s the warmest time of the year now,” said Chuck Rickard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.
Forecasters are predicting a brief respite Sunday and Monday as clouds and scattered showers enter the state, but temperatures are expected to return to the mid and upper 90s by midweek.
Temperatures in the capital city have averaged 85.07 degrees from June 1 through July 23; the record for the two months is 84.72 degrees set in 1954. That average daily temperature is obtained by adding the day’s high and low temperatures and dividing them by two.
Meteorologist Michael Scotten of the National Weather Service in Memphis said unusually high humidityhas added to the heat.
“The actual temperatures are only about a degree higher than normal in eastern Arkansas,” Scotten said. “But it’s been so abnormally humid. That’s what’s been causing the great heat.
“We’re having big-time humidity compared to last year, and I don’t see any sign of relief in Arkansas,” he said.
Little Rock reached 100 degrees Friday, the highest reading in the state. On Thursday, the city recorded 101 degrees, and Wednesday it hit 100, meteorologists said.
The temperature in Little Rock also climbed to 100 degrees on July 15.
On Friday, Brinkley, Camden, Des Arc, Hot Springs and Stuttgart all saw 98 degree readings, and Fordyce and Batesville recorded 97 degrees.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock issued a heat advisory for much of the state until 8 p.m. today.
An advisory is issued when heat indexes exceed 105 degrees. Excessive heat warnings are issued when the heat indexes are between 110 and 115 degrees.
Temperatures in Northwest Arkansas will remain cooler than the rest of the state, said meteorologist Bart Haake of the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
Fayetteville should see readings in the high 80s and low 90s next week, while Fort Smith could have mid-90s temperatures.
“The terrain [of Northwest Arkansas] plays a big part in the heat,” Haake said. “It’s cooler. Fort Smith may heat up more because it’s in the Arkansas River Valley, but we don’t expect high heat indices.”
Forecasters are predicting a break from the heat in the rest of the state Monday and Tuesday because of cloud cover and scattered showers. But rain will place more moisture in the air, causing heat indexes to rise again by Wednesday.
“It looks like it’s going to get hot again,” Scotten said.
Chuck Jones, the owner of Performance Heat and Air in Hot Springs, said business has been brisk during the hot days.
“We’re getting more calls,” he said. “The heat will pick it up for us.”
Crowds have flocked to Wild River Country in North Little Rock to beat the heat, said general manager Lauren Sanders. About 1,800 people visit the water-themed park daily.
“It’s incredibly hot,” she said. “We’ve seen a positive increase in people here.”
In north Arkansas this week, two Youth Conservation Corps workers were rescued while working on the Hemmed-in-Hollow trail in the Ponca Wilderness of the Buffalo National River on Wednesday after they were overcome by heat.
Rescue workers used a helicopter to fly one girl to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. The second victim was taken by boat to Kyle’s Landing on the river and treated by emergency medical personnel. Both were later released.
Campers and outdoor enthusiasts are still visiting Lake Ouachita State Park in Garland County, said park interpreter Susan Tigert, but they are limiting their activities to the cooler times of day.
“It’s summer. We’re booked up,” Tigert said. “But they are hiking the trails during the early hours and later in the evening.
“During the hottest part of the day, people are staying in the shade and in the water,” she said. “They are like the cold-blooded animals - they’re hiding under rocks to stay cool.”
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 07/24/2010