Bracing for the Dog Days of Summer
Little Relief in Sight for Stifling Heat, Humidity Across United States

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Kids visiting the Washington Monument cool off August 8 by jumping in water fountains as the nation's capital tries to deal with a record heat index of over 105 degrees -- and no immediate end in sight Photo © Larry Downing/Reuters

Aug. 8, 2001 -- It's not the heat, it's the humidity. Or in this case, it's both.

From the Midwest to the East Coast, millions of Americans are feeling the dog days of summer. High temperatures combined with high humidity -- the so-called "heat index" -- are pushing the mercury into the triple digits across much of the nation.

NPR's coverage of the heat wave, from west to east:

• Brandt Williams of Minnesota Public Radio talks to a tree trimmer and a construction worker about the heat in Minneapolis.

• Quinn Klinefelter of member station WDET in Detroit reports bus passengers there are riding with no air conditioning in near 100-degree temperatures.

• NPR's Andrea DeLeon reports on appliance stores in Maine that have sold out of air conditioners, leaving residents to compensate with fans.

The "heat index" boosts actual air temperatures by factoring in humidity. Much of the southern and central United States, colored brown, orange and yellow, is being blasted by heat. Map courtesy National Weather Service/NOAA

The heat index is more than a meteorological measuring stick -- it is a warning, especially to the old, the sick and those who must work outdoors, people who are most at risk of falling victim to heat stroke. It measures the "real" heat, where air temperatures and humidity combine to boost the perceived temperature.

Heat can be a killer. Each year, according to the National Weather Service, about 175 people die from heat-related causes -- making it only second to extreme cold as the nation's deadliest natural disaster. In the 1980 heat wave alone, more than 1,250 people died.

Weather experts are warning that there is little relief in sight. Temperatures are supposed to drop slightly by Friday, but a longer-term forecast by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration predicts high temperatures through the third week of August.

Web Resources:

• Heat wave information from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

• Preventing heat-related illness from the National Weather Service

• National Weather Service's three-week outlook of excessive heat

• State-by-state Interactive Weather Information Service