HEAT HITS HARD
Oppressive temperatures take hold
Massachusetts residents are locked into a heat wave this weekend as the predicted heat index across the state will top out between 105 and 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The worst of the heat will be from late in the morning through the mid-evening hours on Saturday and Sunday with an excessive heat warning in effect until Sunday at 8 p.m.
The forecast shows temperatures reaching highs of over 100 degrees, with a chance of thunderstorms likely on Sunday night before 11 p.m.
The record high for Boston on Saturday is 99 degrees, set in 1991. For Sunday, it’s 102 degrees, set in 1977.
Mayor Martin Walsh declared a heat emergency Thursday and announced the availability of public pools, splash parks and cooling centers around the city.
The city also set up hydration stations where people can come to fill up water bottles and get a cold drink.
Boston residents can beat the heat by going to free public beaches, pools and spray parks, staying indoors at cinemas and museums or celebrating National Ice Cream Day on Sunday with a frozen treat.
The weather service is advising people to reschedule any strenuous outdoor activities and residents are also warned to never leave children or pets inside the car, even with the windows cracked.
The Boston Public Health Commission said those with chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma, obesity and kidney disease are more likely to suffer the negative health effects of extreme heat and recommended speaking with a doctor to plan ahead and avoid illness.
An excessive heat warning, which is different and more severe than a heat advisory, is issued when the combination of heat and humidity is expected to make it feel like it is 105 degrees or greater.
There is some good news for people escaping to the Cape and Islands — those areas are not included in the heat warning.
The dangerous effects of extreme heat have also spread across the country. New York state parks are keeping their pools open longer and in Chicago, public housing officials are doing well-being checks on residents.
In Arkansas, former New England Patriots offensive lineman Mitch Petrus died on Thursday of apparent heat stroke, according to Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs.
Petrus was 32. Hobbs told the Herald that Petrus had been working outside at his family’s shop before his death.
Petrus was a University of Arkansas walk-on and was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round in 2010. He played for three years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl against the Patriots in his second season.
He was then signed by the Patriots in 2012 in order to make up for injuries to offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Dan Connolly. He played two games and was released later that season.