Wisconsin is headed into its first extended heat wave in over a decade. Madison meteorologist Brian Olson says the state hasn’t seen an extended spell of super hot weather since 2006. “There have only been four instances where we have hit ninety-plus for three days or more,” said Olson. This spell of hot temperatures, with temperatures in the low to mid-nineties and high humidity, will begin to be felt Sunday and could last nearly a week across all of Wisconsin. Olson doesn’t expect any single day temperature records to fall, but the misery will extend statewide – even locations in northern Wisconsin are expected to record temperatures in the nineties with high humidity.
State officials are monitoring the situation closely. “If this becomes an extended or potentially dangerous situation, we’re going to be prepared to get some cooling centers open and get folks some relief,” said Todd Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management. Pritchard offers advice for dealing with the heat and humidity. If you don’t have air conditioning, Pritchard says you should be using fans to blow hot air OUT of your home when temps top ninety. Wear light-colored clothing, don’t over exert yourself, and drink plenty of water. And above all, remember that vehicles can quickly become hazardous in extremely hot weather. “Never leave a child or a disabled person or a pet in parked car, even for just a few minutes,” said Pritchard. “When you’re looking at air temperatures in the low to mid-nineties, your car can go to like 110, 120 degrees in less than ten minutes.”
