By Steve Huffman
Salisbury Post
With apologies to Sonny & Cher, the hot weather of late is reminiscent of one of those 45 rpm records you had as a teenager.
Once it’s scratched, it just keeps repeating.
And repeating.
“The beat goes on and on,” said Doug Outlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville, S.C.
“For the rest of the week, there’s no relief in sight. It’s terrible.”
Monday’s conditions were downright miserable.
According to firefighters at Salisbury Fire Station No. 53 ó guys who track the weather when they’re not busy battling blazesó the afternoon high reached 97.7 degrees. Today is supposed to be just as bad and maybe a tad worse.
Outlaw said temperatures over the next few days have the potential to break records, one of which has stood for more than a century.
Today, the mercury is expected to climb to 98 degrees. The record of 100 degrees has stood since 1888.
Wednesday, it’s supposed to be 99 degrees. The record of 101 degrees, established in 1951, had best watch out.
Outlaw said the high temperature could easily climb a degree or two above what’s predicted. He said conditions are prompted by an upper level high pressure system that’s stalled over the Southeastern United States.
Over at Salisbury High, coach Joe Pinyan led his troops through two-a-day workouts Monday despite the fact that the practice field felt like a sauna.
The Hornets practiced at 8:30 a.m. and again at 6 p.m., trying with little success to avoid the worst of the heat.
Still, Pinyan managed to kid about it.
“We about had to wear parkas and toboggans this morning,” Pinyan joked Monday afternoon, referring to his team’s earlier workout.
He said the good news for players is that the days when athletes were deprived of water are over. Nowadays, Pinyan said, water breaks are as much a part of practice as wind sprints.
“If you don’t keep water in ’em, you lose their attention,” Pinyan said. “At this stage, we’re all teachers. If they’re distracted, if they’re thirsty, they can’t learn.”
Many area football teams open their seasons a week from Friday, when temperatures are likely to be as high as they were Monday.
Conditions for some age groups can be more than merely uncomfortable. Senior citizens, in particular, are adversely affected by high temperatures.
Clyde Fahnestock, director of Rowan County’s Senior Services, said residents should be sure and check on their elderly friends, relatives and neighbors when temperatures are as high as they are this week.
He said Duke Energy supplies money to Senior Services for fans for distribution to the elderly. Fahnestock said that of the 69 fans Senior Services had, all but seven had been distributed by Monday afternoon.
“But if you’re over 60 and need one, please call,” Fahnestock said. “We’ll make sure you get a fan.”
Fahnestock said Rowan Helping Ministries also supplies fans for the elderly during hot weather.
The county’s transit service also provides seniors free rides to air conditioned locations when temperatures are especially high. The organization’s phone number is 704-216-7700.
“All they’ve got to do is declare a problem and we’ll be there,” Fahnestock said. “We’ll make it a high priority.”
He said senior citizens tend to be reluctant to call for help, too often worrying that they’ll burden others. Fahnestock advised that that not be a concern.
“Do something about it,” he said. “Don’t just sit and suffer.”
Officials with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources have issued Code Orange conditions for today, meaning air quality is likely to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The forecast means people who are sensitive to air pollution should avoid moderate exertion outdoors in the afternoon.
Ozone and particle pollution are the primary pollutants of concern. Ozone, a highly reactive form of oxygen, can be unhealthy to breathe, damage plants and reduce crop yields.
nnnContact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.