LITTLE ROCK — Temperatures topped 100 degrees in Arkansas during the first two days of summer and will return this weekend after a brief respite as thunderstorms move into the state tonight and Thursday, forecasters said Tuesday.
On Monday, the first day of summer, Little Rock saw 101 degrees, breaking the city’s all-time high for that day. El Dorado recorded the high for the state Tuesday with a reading of 101 degrees. Fort Smith, Searcy, Newport and Pine Bluff all reached 100 degrees Tuesday.
But a cool front is to enter the northern half of the state today and produce scattered thunderstorms, said National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Dalton.
“We’ll see some clouds,and that will drop temperatures a maximum of 3 to 5 degrees,” Dalton said. “But the heat indices will still be very high.”
The temperature is forecast to climb back up into the upper 90s and hit 100 by Saturday, and heat indexes could top 110 degrees in some places, he said.
Meteorologists calculate heat indexes by comparing the temperature with the relative humidity. For example if the temperature is 94 degrees and the humidity is 55 percent, it feels like 106 degrees, Dalton said.
Ed Barham, an Arkansas Department of Health spokesman, said he knew of no heat-related deaths in the state so far.
“It’s been hot every day in June,” Barham said. “It’s sustained heat. That’s the biggest problem for most people who are shut in without air conditioning” or working outside, he said.
In Faulkner County, for example, Conway Regional Medical Center had treated 26 cases of heat exposure so far this month, hospital spokesman Lori Ross said. The hospital treated seven such cases in May.
“The average age of those who are coming in are between 20 and 45,” Ross said. “We’ve had as old as 89 and as young as 14.”
The private, nonprofit CareLink agency in North Little Rock urged the elderly Tuesday to be aware of the heat and take steps to stay cool, including staying indoors in air conditioning if possible and keeping hydrated. Animal advocates suggested similar measures for pets.
Agencies and organizations around the state are offering free fans to help residents keep cool.
The Bryant Police Department anticipated giving away 25 fans Tuesday and plans to give out more fans as they are donated. The Lonoke County sheriff’s office is also seeking donations of fans to hand out.
In Fort Smith, the Salvation Army handed out 130 fans since last week and opened its office to provide shelter from the heat, said Pamela Holt, social services ministry director.
Fan distribution was limited to the elderly and children under age 2 last week because they are considered at high risk in the heat. Fan distribution was open to everyone this week, Holt said.
The heat kept builders off the job, golfers off the courses, and had more people out seeking ice and water.
Robert Ross, the owner of Robert Ross Roofing Inc., said two workers have quit since the heat spell began.
“They’re new guys. They didn’t know what they were getting into,” Ross said.
During the heat, Ross’ crews begin early in the morning and work until about 11 a.m. Then they take a break, and return about 6 p.m. and roof until dark, he said.
Water usage doubled Tuesday in Arkadelphia, where the temperature hit 98 and the heat index reached 111 degrees. The town’s 10,900 customers used about 1 million gallons of water Tuesday, compared with their usual 500,000 gallons a day, said Daniel Neal, plant operations manager at the Arkadelphia Water Utilities.
“It’s a big jump for June,” he said. “People are drinking and using it to water their lawns.”
In Blytheville, many golfers were staying off the courses. About 10 people played at Thunder Bayou Golf Links on Tuesday, down from the average of about 50 people, said course director Ron St. Laurent.
“They’ll come out real early, or late in the afternoon,” he said. “We’ve had a few brave ones who come out during the peak hours, and they take advantage of the Powerade drinks.”
The National Weather Service in Tulsa issued an excessive-heat warning for Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian counties where heat indexes topped 105 degrees. The weather service in North Little Rock doesn’t issue the same warnings until heat indexes exceed 115 degrees, Dalton said.
“We don’t have advisories yet,” Dalton said. “We’re just shy of them.”
The heat did benefit Reddy Ice company in Van Buren, as workers busied themselves hauling ice to customers.
“It’s unreal,” said John Pixley, a driver for the company. “It’s the only way I can describe this. They are glad to see us. They want us as fast as we can get to them.” Information for this article was contributed by Ginny LaRoe and Dave Hughes of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 06/23/2010