MONROE - If you think this week's heat wave has been extraordinarily intense, you're right.
The National Weather Service reported Thursday "this heat wave will go down as one of the four hottest periods ever for southern Wisconsin, rivaling the Dust Bowl years of 1934 and 1936 and the deadly 1995 heat wave." The extended period of heat will reach five days by today, July 6.
The high temperature in Monroe reached 100 on Thursday, July 5, with an overnight low of 75. The normal high temperature for this date is 85.
An excessive heat warning remains in effect for all of southern Wisconsin, with afternoon heat index readings expected between 100 and 110 Friday, July 6. The actual temperature is forecast to hit 101.
The scorching temperatures and extended lack of rain, producing drought-like conditions, have been brutal, especially for those who work outside. To avoid the brunt of the sun's heat, many outdoor workers are starting their days earlier.
"Right about now is when it bears down on us," Dennis Broge, carpenter with Bruni-Miller Construction, said mid-afternoon Thursday. He was already finished with his outdoor work for the day and getting relief from air-conditioning.
"Definitely we're changing our routine. What we've done is, sometimes we'll start at 5:30 a.m. Normally we start at 7," he said.
Bruni-Miller workers who are building a new home south of Monroe are taking extra water breaks and following the shadow of the sun to keep in the shade, he said.
At Applied Ecological Services southeast of Brodhead, workers who tend the nursery and field of native plants have moved up their schedules from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to an earlier, cooler shift of 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Some of the plants don't have the flexibility of their gardeners.
"It's wilted pretty hard," said Corrine Daniels, who leads the company's restoration nurseries. "Seed production is going to be off." The native prairie grasses are holding up well, however.
"They have this enormous root system, often right down to the water table," Daniels said.
Among the city departments, street, parks and police supervisors are taking extra precautions for the safety of their employees working in the extreme heat.
"It's the usual stuff - breaks in the shade, extra water," said Tom Boll, street department supervisor. And employees are asked to slow down, if needed, to reduce the risk of heat-related illness, he added.
Park employees "keep an eye on each other," and when the heat index gets to 101 or above, employees can wear shorts, where appropriate, said Paul Klinzing, parks supervisor.
"We've got bottles of water in a refrigerator out at the shop and encourage them to drink," he said.
Many police officers patrol in air-conditioned vehicles, but Police Chief Fred Kelley noted that his department also has officers on bicycles.
Kelley insists his officers "hydrate - drink plenty of water" when out in the heat. But there comes a point in the temperature and heat index readings when he "adjusts schedules and brings them in to rehab."
The extended hot weather is especially hard on elderly and people with medical conditions. But it can be hard on children as well.
"The kids get a little cabin feverish when it's this hot," Kris Hartwig, administrator at Rainbow Daycare in Monroe.
Rainbow follows public health warnings, Hartwig said, and on days this hot, the kids stay inside.
"The state mandates that we have to go outside every day if the weather is fine," she said. "With this heat, we do not go outside. We get our energy out by using our multipurpose room."
When the heat dips a little, the Rainbow kids can go outside in the morning. A few days ago when it was still bearable earlier in the morning, Hartwig said they did a "water fun play" outside with sprinklers and wading pools.
More seasonable temperatures in the mid-80s are forecast to return to the area Sunday and into next week.
The National Weather Service reported Thursday "this heat wave will go down as one of the four hottest periods ever for southern Wisconsin, rivaling the Dust Bowl years of 1934 and 1936 and the deadly 1995 heat wave." The extended period of heat will reach five days by today, July 6.
The high temperature in Monroe reached 100 on Thursday, July 5, with an overnight low of 75. The normal high temperature for this date is 85.
An excessive heat warning remains in effect for all of southern Wisconsin, with afternoon heat index readings expected between 100 and 110 Friday, July 6. The actual temperature is forecast to hit 101.
The scorching temperatures and extended lack of rain, producing drought-like conditions, have been brutal, especially for those who work outside. To avoid the brunt of the sun's heat, many outdoor workers are starting their days earlier.
"Right about now is when it bears down on us," Dennis Broge, carpenter with Bruni-Miller Construction, said mid-afternoon Thursday. He was already finished with his outdoor work for the day and getting relief from air-conditioning.
"Definitely we're changing our routine. What we've done is, sometimes we'll start at 5:30 a.m. Normally we start at 7," he said.
Bruni-Miller workers who are building a new home south of Monroe are taking extra water breaks and following the shadow of the sun to keep in the shade, he said.
At Applied Ecological Services southeast of Brodhead, workers who tend the nursery and field of native plants have moved up their schedules from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to an earlier, cooler shift of 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Some of the plants don't have the flexibility of their gardeners.
"It's wilted pretty hard," said Corrine Daniels, who leads the company's restoration nurseries. "Seed production is going to be off." The native prairie grasses are holding up well, however.
"They have this enormous root system, often right down to the water table," Daniels said.
Among the city departments, street, parks and police supervisors are taking extra precautions for the safety of their employees working in the extreme heat.
"It's the usual stuff - breaks in the shade, extra water," said Tom Boll, street department supervisor. And employees are asked to slow down, if needed, to reduce the risk of heat-related illness, he added.
Park employees "keep an eye on each other," and when the heat index gets to 101 or above, employees can wear shorts, where appropriate, said Paul Klinzing, parks supervisor.
"We've got bottles of water in a refrigerator out at the shop and encourage them to drink," he said.
Many police officers patrol in air-conditioned vehicles, but Police Chief Fred Kelley noted that his department also has officers on bicycles.
Kelley insists his officers "hydrate - drink plenty of water" when out in the heat. But there comes a point in the temperature and heat index readings when he "adjusts schedules and brings them in to rehab."
The extended hot weather is especially hard on elderly and people with medical conditions. But it can be hard on children as well.
"The kids get a little cabin feverish when it's this hot," Kris Hartwig, administrator at Rainbow Daycare in Monroe.
Rainbow follows public health warnings, Hartwig said, and on days this hot, the kids stay inside.
"The state mandates that we have to go outside every day if the weather is fine," she said. "With this heat, we do not go outside. We get our energy out by using our multipurpose room."
When the heat dips a little, the Rainbow kids can go outside in the morning. A few days ago when it was still bearable earlier in the morning, Hartwig said they did a "water fun play" outside with sprinklers and wading pools.
More seasonable temperatures in the mid-80s are forecast to return to the area Sunday and into next week.