The heat in St. Louis has gone from bothersome to dangerous.
An excessive heat warning remains in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday with temperatures predicted to top 100 degrees throughout the area today. Heat indices between 105 and 115 degrees will occur during daylight hours today and Wednesday.
Overnight lows around 80 degrees will offer little relief from the daytime heat. This build up of heat will make heat-related illnesses a very real and dangerous threat, especially for those living in un-air conditioned homes or apartments.
The St. Louis medical examiner’s office said Monday that a 71-year-old St. Louis woman found dead in her home Saturday was a heat victim. She had no air conditioning in her home on Virginia Avenue. She is the eighth hear-related death in the region since last week when storms blasted the area and left hundreds of thousands without power.
There is relief on the way. A cold front will move into the area by Thursday, but it could also bring powerful thunderstorms with it.
Until Thursday, people are advised to avoid poorly ventilated areas and prolonged work in the sun. Use air conditioning in your house or apartment, even if only for a few hours a day.
If you do not have air conditioning, keep your house or apartment well ventilated with fans. Use fans to move hot air out of a room during the day and then pull in cooler air at night.
Try to spend some time in an air-conditioned location even if only for an hour or two in order to give your body a break from the heat.
People in the St. Louis metropolitan area needing information on cooling centers, energy assistance and other programs should call operation weather survival at the United Way of Greater St. Louis at 1-800-427-4626.
