Temperature tops out at 107
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Betty Welch could hardly believe the triple-digit reading on her outdoor thermometer when she glanced at it Thursday afternoon at her house on the north side of Columbus.
The time: 3:55 p.m.
The temperature: 107.
“Oh my gosh,” Welch said. “Unbelievable.”
The temperatures Thursday set a new record for warmest June 28 in Columbus, depending on where you looked.
The National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 102 degrees at the Columbus Municipal Airport.
The Republic website, which gathers data from a downtown Columbus weather station, showed a high of 108.
AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company, said Columbus set the record for its warmest June 28 at 102 degrees.
The official record for the cooperative weather station in Columbus is 104 degrees, set in 1931, according to the Indiana State Climate Office.
One thing was for sure: It was hot. Real hot.
“You could hardly breath,” Welch said after she went out to roll up her water hose in the afternoon heat. “I’m glad I have air conditioning.”
The heat was to blame for power outages in Oakcrest Addition and Tipton Lakes when fuses blew during the hottest part of Thursday, affecting 105 Bartholomew County REMC customers, said Marty Lasure, REMC spokeswoman. She said REMC recommends customers keep their air conditioning units at 78 degrees to avoid overloading fuses.
Robert Ross, who was re-roofing a house on Columbus’ north side for his family business, Online Construction, said he and partner Mikey Lawver are used to using reasonable care in the hot conditions, which were magnified on the roof of the home on which they were working Thursday.
“If we only had roofing to do, we’d roof all day,” Ross said after a morning of laying shingles. “But today, we did the roof early, now we’ll do siding (this afternoon).”
Ross said he did not keep a large supply of water at the job site, other than an oversized foam to-go cup left in the shade of a nearby tree. The men intended to rehydrate during their lunch break before starting their afternoon stint of siding work.
Andy Mann, who was running midday Thursday along Rocky Ford Road, said he runs 8 to 12 miles every day but tries to get it out of the way in the morning.
Mann acknowleged the high temperatures Thursday, but said that his overall conditioning allowed him to stick to his routine.
“Anytime it’s hot, you have to listen to your body,” Mann said. “But I’m used to running in the heat. And if you take the necessary precautions and stay hydrated, you’ll usually be all right.”
The heat is expected to last through the weekend.
Today’s high is expected to be 101, and temperatures will be in the 90s through all of next week, according to AccuWeather. The only possibility of rain for the next week is today with a 20 percent chance.
Welch said she planned to stay inside to avoid the heat, except for a quick trip out to put water in her birdbath.
“I feel sorry for anybody or anything that has to be outside,” she said.
Photo Editor Joe Harpring contributed to this article.
Handling the heat
- Stay out of the heat as much as possible, preferably in an air-conditioned environment.
- Drink plenty of water (avoid alcoholic or carbonated beverages.)
- Slow down from your normal pace.
- Spend time in air conditioning, even for brief periods.
- Draw shades, blinds, and curtains in rooms exposed to direct sunlight.
- Cool down with cool baths or showers.
- Wear loose-fitting, light colored clothing.
- Wear proper SPF sunscreen for your skin type when outside.
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
- Never leave animals, children or the elderly inside a vehicle — even if the vehicle is only being left for a minute and the windows are rolled down.
- Avoid leaving animals outside, but if you must, provide adequate shade and lots of water.
- Source: Indiana Department of Homeland Security
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