Dreadful heat, humidity to invade South as misery continues

ATLANTA >> Most of the South — from Texas to parts of South Carolina — will be under heat advisories and warnings as temperatures will feel as high as 117 degrees (47 Celsius), forecasters said.

The most intense heat Tuesday was expected in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama; and in areas near Memphis, Tennessee.

The warnings come one day after the temperature and humidity combined for a Monday heat index of 121 degrees (49.4 Celsius) in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was only a few degrees cooler in West Memphis, Arkansas.

By noon Tuesday, the heat index was already 117 degrees (47 Celsius) in Clarksdale; and 114 (46 Celsius) in the west Tennessee city of Dyersburg, the weather service reported.

Forecasters say the heat index is what the temperature actually feels like.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are prime threats during heat waves, according to the federal Centers Children splash in the new splash pad at Riverview Park in North Augusta, S.C., Monday. Hazardous heat is in the Augusta, Ga., area weather forecast. Forecasters say most of the South from Texas to parts of South Carolina will be under heat advisories and warnings as temperatures will feel as high as 117 degrees.

for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Kansas, a 2-year-old boy died after he was found alone in a parked car in the afternoon heat Sunday. It appears heat played a role in the child’s death, Lawrence Police Chief Gregory Burns Jr. said in a statement Monday. It was about

88 degrees (31 Celsius) with a heat index of 96 (36 Celsius) in Lawrence at the time, the weather service said. The police investigation is continuing.

In Texas, TXU Energy asked its customers to dial back their thermostats between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday due to the extreme

heat. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees parts of the state’s power grid, said it set an alltime peak demand record Monday afternoon.

The Dallas Zoo prepared for large crowds Tuesday during $1 admission day even as forecasters predicted triple-digit

MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE VIA AP temperatures. A Dallas Zoo dollar admission day in July drew more than 30,000 visitors, with temperatures in the 90s, zoo spokeswoman Chelsey Norris said. Misting tents were set up throughout the zoo for visitors to cool down. Elephants will be soaked with water cannons and offered frozen treats, she said. The heat alerts in place Tuesday stretched as far east as the Upstate area of South Carolina. In Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Carolina Panthers