National Weather Service issues excessive heat warning

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued an excessive heat warning for Owensboro and Western Kentucky, with temperatures forecast to reach the upper 90s this week. An area of high pressure heading eastward from the West Coast, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Smith, is the cause of the exceptionally high temperatures.

“With high pressure, you have descending air, and as the air descends it has a tendency to warm up,” Smith said. “As this large area of high pressure continues to move east, it tends to suppress or push away a lot of the shower and thunderstorm activity that we have been experiencing off and on through the spring.”

According to Smith, the current weather pattern in the area has a proclivity for raising temperatures.

“You can still get humidity underneath this ridge of high pressure and that is why it feels so oppressive right now,” he said. “You still have a lot of moisture…and all that is essentially trapped under this dome of high pressure that is sinking all the time.”

For the next two weeks, temperatures in western Kentucky are projected to be "far above normal," according to Smith.

“At this time of year, normal (temperatures) are moving into the upper 80s,” Smith said. “We are going to be 10 to 15 degrees above normal and in some cases, up to 20 degrees above normal.”

People should take protection against the intense heat, according to Smith.

“We have seen a lot of relatively cool temperatures near normal or below normal for the last few months, and now you just get this big heatwave in June and it can take a lot of people off guard,” he said.

Andy Ball, the director of Daviess County Emergency Management, said it's critical for individuals working outside to take extra measures during the intense heat, such as taking breaks and drinking lots of water. While extreme cold in Daviess County may result in the declaration of a "white flag" event, where shelters and churches open their doors to the area's homeless and transient population. When the weather becomes really hot, there's nothing like it, according to Ball.

“We discussed that when I first got hired on,” Ball said. “The reason we don’t have that in the summer is in the winter your extreme temperatures are at nighttime and there are not a lot of places for people to go that are either homeless or transient, so that is why we do the shelters.”

Individuals can seek relief from the heat during the day at a number of spots in Owensboro, according to Ball. Ball says it's vital for individuals working outdoors to stay hydrated, even if it means taking additional breaks during the day.

“Supervisors should definitely keep an eye on their personnel, and make sure they are drinking water,” he said. “If they lose a person to a heat-related injury, then that is a lot more time than they would have lost by letting them hydrate for a few minutes.”

It's also crucial, according to Ball, for people to remember to bring their pets inside or keep them in the shade, and to be cautious if they have a little child in their vehicle.