Weather That Feels Like 120 Degree Heat

heatindex

Whether you’re pumping or drilling for oil and gas in northwestern Oklahoma, cutting timber in the southeast or mining coal in the east, it’s hot and dangerous weather. Not so much because of the high temperatures but the effect of high humidity with those temperatures.

As State Climatologist Gary McManus with the Oklahoma Mesonet pointed out, the state finally hit triple digits for the first time this week since Sept. 17, 2015. It reached 103 degrees on Wednesday in Alva and Cherokee.

“Add the tremendous humidity to the mix and the “apparent” temperFatures, or the heat index values, skyrocket into downright dangerous territory,” wrote McManus in his Thursday Mesonet update. He said the Marena and Bixby Mesonet sites both hit 117 on Wednesday.

McManus said perhaps the worst part could be that low temperatures are only dropping into the mid-70s over much of the state and approaching 80s in other areas.

“So just a reminder, parts of the state are under a heat advisory for heat indices rising into the 105-110 degree range while parts of the northern half of the state are under an excessive heat warnings for heat indices from 110-120 degrees.”

Things could be worse on Friday when temperatures are predicted to be even higher.