Heat and humidity descend on the Midlands — and they're not expected to let up
Heat and humidity slowly baked eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Saturday.
By News Channel NebraskaHeat and humidity slowly baked eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on Saturday.
Forecasters anticipate little to no letup in the coming days.
“It looks like the heat is really on for much of the week,” said Alan Reppert of AccuWeather, The World-Herald’s weather consultant.
And the conditions are more than just a topic of small talk. Numerous people in the Omaha area went to hospitals Saturday to be treated for heat exhaustion and other weather-related maladies.
CHI Health facilities in the area treated at least 24 patients, and two Nebraska Medicine hospitals handled eight cases.
Shortly before 7 p.m., Bellevue police reported a traffic hazard on eastbound Chandler Road, where the street had buckled because of the extreme heat. Crews were en route to address the problem.
A fire Saturday afternoon in an Omaha townhouse resulted in seven firefighters being treated for heat exhaustion at the scene and one at a hospital.
Dave Eastlack, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Valley, said the humidity caused temperatures in the mid- and high 90s to feel like the mid-100s. The heat index in Blair was 112 degrees early Saturday night.
Eastlack said there were heat advisories throughout much of the region and excessive heat warnings in northwest Iowa and parts of South Dakota. In these conditions, the weather service said, people should limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.
The heat and humidity have been settling slowly and steadily over the region.
“This was a pretty gradual thing,” Eastlack said.
He said Monday might be “just a tad bit cooler” than the weekend.
AccuWeather’s Reppert said the region might get some relief early this week, but it will be modest. “It looks like warmth is going to reign over much of the next week,” he said.