Local temperatures this week are expected to stay in the 90s, and reach the upper 90s for some places. National Weather Service Meteorologist Logan Clark says Monday could be the hottest day of the year so far.
“July 3 we had 93 as a high, and then back on June 21 we were able to reach 95 degrees,” Clark says. “We have to jump all the way back to 2012 when the last time that the Cincinnati airport actually reached a high in the triple digits there.”
Clark says hitting or passing the 100-degree mark could happen, but there is a chance of some thunderstorms late Tuesday into Wednesday morning. He says that could take some of the heat off for a day, but it will be right back again on Thursday.
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“Friday it may just drop by a few degrees into the mid-90s, and then we’re really expecting a more notable drop from Friday into Saturday.”
Should you worry about air quality?
Hot weather usually goes hand-in-hand with air quality alerts, says Joy Landry at the Southwest Air Quality Agency.
“Ozone is a gas-based pollutant,” she says. “So when you apply a lot of heat to gas it allows those gaseous molecules to expand, and thus the concentrations of air quality get worse.”
The agency issued an air quality alert for Tuesday, Aug. 27, for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana.
Heat isn’t the only thing that leads to air quality alerts.
“Additional factors that we look at are things like dew point, wind speeds,” she says. “How much winds, what’s happening in the air above us, that too can impact our ozone levels.”
Landry says generally, most air quality alerts come out in May and June, because the air is drier then. She says higher humidity levels tend to suppress ozone.
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She says we can't do anything about the heat, but we can reduce what we release into the air.
“If you have an employer that will allow you to work from home on an air quality alert day, that’s one less car — hopefully a lot less cars — on the highway,” she says. “There’s not a lot of grass to be mowed right now because it is so dry, but try not to use gas-based lawn equipment. Those little things, when everybody does it, can make a bit of a difference to help protect our air quality.”
Landry says air quality alerts are generally issued only one day in advance.
How to stay safe in hot weather
As record-breaking heat waves continue across the country, local emergency rooms are reporting an increase in heat-related illnesses. But how do you spot the signs, and how can you prevent getting sick? Listen to this episode of Cincinnati edition for some advice.
Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances, and this is especially true during hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. Be sure to check in on elderly family and/or neighbors during this time. But before you do, familiarize yourself with the signs and first aid response for heat-related illness.
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If you work outside, or don't have access to air conditioning, here a few tips to stay cool without AC. Additionally, Cincinnati rec centers will be open during normal business hours as cooling centers. Remember: membership is not required to use a rec center as a place to cool down.
Finally, don't have access to a weather app, TV or radio to stay on top of weather alerts? There's still a phone number you can call to find out the time and temp.
