From cold towels to early dismissal, people are finding ways to cope with a 2nd day of heat wave

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — As a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest on Tuesday, residents looked for ways to stay cool and indoors.

Darrell Taylor, 61, has no air-conditioning in his apartment in Chicago, where it reached a record-breaking 98 degrees Fahrenheit. He described it as feeling like an oven. Running two fans did not improve things.

“I put a cold towel on my face. It’s only working a little bit,” he said before retreating to the home of a relative who has air conditioning.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories Tuesday in large swaths of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and into Mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The weather service warned of “dangerously hot conditions” and predicted heat index values — which take into account the temperature and relative humidity and indicate how hot it feels outdoors — of up to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations, including Chicago. The city’s high broke the record of 97 degrees set for this day in 1973, according to the weather service.

But relief was expected soon, with cooler temperatures expected starting Wednesday.

“The heat still persists across the middle part of the country but there is some much cooler air working in by the end of the month,” Josh Weiss, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

Many cities, including Chicago, opened cooling centers. Some schools planned early dismissal because of the heat. An Indiana zoo cut its hours while a Chicago zoo gave animals ice treats. And one Chicago church collected thousands bottles of water to give away.

Numerous schools in Ohio planned for early dismissals on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the expected heat, while some schools canceled classes due to power outages. Chicago schools started the academic year as planned this week, but school officials announced that outdoor athletics were canceled through Tuesday. Some suburban Chicago schools had early dismissal. Also, dozens of Philadelphia city schools without adequate air conditioning planned early dismissal Tuesday and Wednesday.

Members of St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side, collected over 4,000 bottles of water to give away as temperatures climbed. The National Weather Service said the temperature reached 98, which

“We’re blessing people with water because it is a very hot day,” Meryle Davie-Hawthorne said as she passed out bottles kept cold from coolers full of ice. “We just want to help out.”

In other places, residents were warned against using longtime methods to stay cool.

Officials in southwestern Michigan’s Kalamazoo, where temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit, asked residents to stop opening fire hydrants.

“There has been a large increase in the unauthorized private use of city of Kalamazoo fire hydrants,” the city said on X, formerly Twitter. “Some private citizens are taking it upon themselves to open fire hydrants. Please note that opening and closing fire hydrants can cause serious injury.”

Much of northern and eastern Missouri was under a heat advisory Tuesday. The high temperature in St. Louis was expected to approach 100 degrees, with a slight risk of storms. The region, accustomed to hot and sultry August weather, was largely taking the heat in stride, with few cancellations reported.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, a line of powerful thunderstorms packing high winds plowed across the state early Tuesday, causing widespread power outages and tree damage. The Minnesota State Fair in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights opened two hours late Tuesday morning so that fair officials could assess the damage and clean up the debris and rides on the Midway were temporarily halted.

Winds gusted as high as 64 mph in St. Paul, the National Weather Service said. Xcel Energy, the largest electrical utility in Minnesota, said over 144,000 of its customers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were still without power by 9 a.m. Tuesday.

At Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, staff made sure animals had access to shade and gave out ice treats to encourage hydration.

“People think animals are adapted to weather extremes like heat because they come from more tropical areas,” said Dave Bernier, the zoo’s general curator. “But they’re really Chicagoans just like us and they experience the same weather we do.”

In Indiana, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo said it would close at 3 p.m. Tuesday because of the excessive heat, according to its Facebook page.

The zoo also offered tips to stay cool from its resident expert, Penny the ostrich.

“Flap and fan your wings to keep yourself cool,” the zoo said in a post featuring Penny pictures. “Use your long, flexible neck to better control your head temperature.”

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Associated Press reporters Teresa Crawford in Chicago, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.