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Entire state of Iowa under excessive heat advisory

Entire state of Iowa under excessive heat advisory
Source: The National Weather Service.
By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Most residents of Floyd County don’t need an official advisory to tell them what they already know — it’s hot outside.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), it’s going to last a while.

The NWS reported Tuesday that Floyd County and the entire state of Iowa are in an “excessive heat watch” from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday evening. An excessive heat watch is issued when the impending heat index could reach or exceed 110 degrees, and not fall below 75 degrees, for longer than two days.

The heat index is expected to climb into the 100s for Minnesota as well.

The combination of temperatures in the 90s and dewpoints into the 70s will produce heat index values of 100 to 110 for the next several days. The NWS predicts the extreme heat will last until at least Saturday night, when northern Iowa — where rain is also likely this week — will get some relief.

Lezlie Weber at Floyd County Emergency Management said opening up air-conditioned shelters if there are people who need them has already been discussed here in Charles City.

“The shelters are always on agreement. If we need to open them we can,” Weber said. She said that if a decision is made to open the shelters — such as the public library — there will be an announcement.

The NWS said that excessive heat is the top weather-related killer in the U.S. On a 30-year average, 136 deaths each year are related to heat, while 30 deaths are related to cold weather.

The prolonged heat could be especially dangerous for those most susceptible, including young children and the elderly. The NWS advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, check up on relatives and neighbors, and don’t forget about pets.

There won’t be much of a break from the heat even after the sun sets, the NWS said. Low temperatures are expected to be in the upper 70s Friday and Saturday morning. The heat index will be warmer than 80 degrees at night.

There is a chance of storms Wednesday north of Highway 20, with the best chance of storms at night. Some of the storms Wednesday night could be strong to severe, with damaging wind the primary threat, and heavy rain and flash flooding is possible if the storms move slowly.

The hot and humid weather is expected to break this weekend, with more showers and storms both Saturday and Sunday. Until then, high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-90s.

The daytime high Sunday is expected to be near 85, with an overnight low of 62. Monday’s high is expected to be near 81, with an overnight low down to 60 degrees.

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