Heat Wave

Old man summer is about to pull a one-two-three punch on Kentucky as high temperatures move into the state during the Thursday through Monday period making an already bad drought situation worse with little likelihood for rain any time soon. And that will increase the chance for wildfires - causing a number of communities across the state to ban outdoor burning. Beginning Thursday and continuing at least until Monday, the National Weather Service said high temperatures will range from 95 to 100 degrees across Kentucky.

The highest outside temperature that registered on my automobile temperature gauge this summer was 114 degrees was on July 6 while the car was parked in the sun. After I drove a few miles, it went down to 102 degrees. The temperatures have soared all over this part of the country this summer with little rainfall.  Looking back at articles in the The Advocate-Messenger, the temperatures were hot in earlier years. Sweltering temperatures and hail storms have caused crop losses, and people have found ways to cool off in a time without air conditioning.

Writer's note:¿Warning! Pets should be kept indoors when fireworks are being set off. Animals' ears are very sensitive and the explosions are painful. Most pets run and get lost if left outdoors. Do not take your pet to the big fireworks displays.   July is starting out good and hot! This is a time to keep your pets inside and keep them hydrated. Mary Oquendo has an article on dehydration in the June issue of Groomer to Groomer.  She provides some important points on this subject for both groomers and owners.

A heat wave of historic proportions is baking the Bluegrass with temperatures hovering near triple digits for four straight days. It's the kind of extreme weather that will make everyone a little hot under the collar, and for some, it could pose a serious, even deadly, health risk. “It's just going to be a tough weekend for a lot of folks, especially the elderly,” Sheila Cain, acting director of the Danville-Boyle County Senior Citizens Center, said Thursday afternoon with thermometers around town showing 98 degrees or higher.

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of columns by local actress/director Karen L. Logue, who is making her Danville professional acting debut in "The Last of Jane Austen," Pioneer Playhouse's fourth play. She recorded some of her thoughts about how this opportunity came about and how she's approached it. Logue is the managing director at West T. Hill Community Theatre. Dress/Technical Rehearsal: OK, so it's official - I'm melting. I know that alludes to the Wicked Witch, and frankly, the allusion more than fits.

Juy 18, 1986 The heat wave that slapped Kentuckians like a steamy washcloth sent them to the solace of their air conditioning and fans and pushed some utility companies to new production peaks. Louisville Gas and Electric Co. had a new peak at 4 p.m. Thursday, when the company produced nearly 1.9 kilowatts of electricity. That amount was about one-half percent above the previous record, set in July 1983. Miss Lacy Polly, Whitesburg, will be the weekend guest of her grandmother, Mrs. Mildred Wheeler, at her home in Beverly White Towers.

Kentucky's electric utilities report they are having no trouble meeting the high demand for power created by the hot and humid weather that has settled over the state, the Kentucky Public Service Commission says. However, to help reduce the demand for power so that it does not exceed the utilities' ability to provide it, the PSC is encouraging consumers to conserve energy and, at the same time, lower their utility bills. A heat wave over much of the nation has led to record high electric demand this week in several states, including California, Texas and New York.

LEXINGTON — As temperatures continue to rise across the Commonwealth, so can energy usage. Kentucky Utilities Co. encourage customers to take simple energy efficiency steps to help lower energy consumption during a heat wave. Set air conditioners to the highest comfortable setting during the day: 78-80 degrees works for most people. Raising your air conditioner setting by one degree can save you 4-7 percent on the cooling portion of your energy bill. Turn off all unnecessary lights.

Kentuckians are accustomed to hot, humid summers, but unfortunately when temperatures outside rise, so do people's energy bills. A heat wave over much of the nation in July led to record high electric demand in several states, including California, Texas and New York. Here at home, though, utilities reported no trouble meeting the high demand, although they encouraged consumers to conserve energy. "Because this kind of weather is not that unusual for Kentucky in July, our utilities are prepared for it," said Teresa Hill, vice chairman of the Public Service Commission.

I wrote this column well before the stroke of midnight that will usher in 2013. Like many, I've been asked several times what my New Year's resolution is going to be, and like many, I'm sure if I thought long and hard enough, I could come up with a list that would easily fill this opinion page. But I'm not going to do that, because about a month or two into 2013, odds are I would have forgotten what they were. Instead, I'm doing a retrospect of 2012. I've come up with a brief list of stories I enjoyed working on - this is a brief list; I spent all of five minutes looking through back issues.

I wrote this column well before the stroke of midnight that will usher in 2013. Like many, I've been asked several times what my New Year's resolution is going to be, and like many, I'm sure if I thought long and hard enough, I could come up with a list that would easily fill this opinion page. But I'm not going to do that, because about a month or two into 2013, odds are I would have forgotten what they were. Instead, I'm doing a retrospect of 2012. I've come up with a brief list of stories I enjoyed working on - this is a brief list; I spent all of five minutes looking through back issues.

The highest outside temperature that registered on my automobile temperature gauge this summer was 114 degrees was on July 6 while the car was parked in the sun. After I drove a few miles, it went down to 102 degrees. The temperatures have soared all over this part of the country this summer with little rainfall.  Looking back at articles in the The Advocate-Messenger, the temperatures were hot in earlier years. Sweltering temperatures and hail storms have caused crop losses, and people have found ways to cool off in a time without air conditioning.

Have any of you been doing a rain dance (privately) around your house this week? I must admit I actually mentioned to my grandson, Hayden, that if it didn't rain we may have to do a rain dance. Of course, then I had to explain to him what a rain dance was. Last Thursday, when I stepped outside, I felt sorry for anyone who had to work in the extreme heat and for those without air conditioning in their homes. By that evening, I became one of those people without air conditioning.

Writer's note:¿Warning! Pets should be kept indoors when fireworks are being set off. Animals' ears are very sensitive and the explosions are painful. Most pets run and get lost if left outdoors. Do not take your pet to the big fireworks displays.   July is starting out good and hot! This is a time to keep your pets inside and keep them hydrated. Mary Oquendo has an article on dehydration in the June issue of Groomer to Groomer.  She provides some important points on this subject for both groomers and owners.

During this heat wave, it's important to stay cool. Just because you have to blast the air conditioning to keep your house bearable doesn't mean you can't be smart about it and save some energy along the way. Air conditioning battles heat, but everyone doesn't realize heat doesn't just come from outside - it can come from inside, too. The fewer heat-producing things you run in your home, the more effective your air conditioning can be....

A heat wave of historic proportions is baking the Bluegrass with temperatures hovering near triple digits for four straight days. It's the kind of extreme weather that will make everyone a little hot under the collar, and for some, it could pose a serious, even deadly, health risk. “It's just going to be a tough weekend for a lot of folks, especially the elderly,” Sheila Cain, acting director of the Danville-Boyle County Senior Citizens Center, said Thursday afternoon with thermometers around town showing 98 degrees or higher.

Old man summer is about to pull a one-two-three punch on Kentucky as high temperatures move into the state during the Thursday through Monday period making an already bad drought situation worse with little likelihood for rain any time soon. And that will increase the chance for wildfires - causing a number of communities across the state to ban outdoor burning. Beginning Thursday and continuing at least until Monday, the National Weather Service said high temperatures will range from 95 to 100 degrees across Kentucky.

Juy 18, 1986 The heat wave that slapped Kentuckians like a steamy washcloth sent them to the solace of their air conditioning and fans and pushed some utility companies to new production peaks. Louisville Gas and Electric Co. had a new peak at 4 p.m. Thursday, when the company produced nearly 1.9 kilowatts of electricity. That amount was about one-half percent above the previous record, set in July 1983. Miss Lacy Polly, Whitesburg, will be the weekend guest of her grandmother, Mrs. Mildred Wheeler, at her home in Beverly White Towers.

LEXINGTON — As temperatures continue to rise across the Commonwealth, so can energy usage. Kentucky Utilities Co. encourage customers to take simple energy efficiency steps to help lower energy consumption during a heat wave. Set air conditioners to the highest comfortable setting during the day: 78-80 degrees works for most people. Raising your air conditioner setting by one degree can save you 4-7 percent on the cooling portion of your energy bill. Turn off all unnecessary lights.

For the second year in a row, festival-goers at Ichthus haven't had to worry about camping out in the rain or snow. Since the festival has been held in June instead of April, they've had the opposite problem - a searing heat wave. Temperatures during the festival - which drew approximately 20,000 people - soared above the seasonal average for June, with 88 degrees on Thursday, 86 on Friday and 89 on Friday, according to WLEX-TV meteorologist Tom Ackerman. "But at least the Ichthus crowd finally got some dry weather," he said with a laugh.