Heat Outside = Heaters on Inside

Newsflash!! It's been hot this week in Oklahoma. We made it to 100° for the first time this year on Monday, and temperatures have been topping out around there every day this week. Temperatures will drop a few degrees this weekend and into next week, but humidity values will stay high. This will keep the heat index values in the triple digits meaning no noticeable change. As of now, rain chances are still zero through next week. Bottom line…the heat goes on! So what goes on in the weather center when the mercury climbs to the century mark? It's simple…the heaters come out!

The weather center at News 9 is just behind the studio. Due to all the lights and equipment in the studio, the thermostat has to be set at -20° F. Okay not really, but it sure does feel like it. In the studio this is perfectly acceptable, the lights come on, it heats up, and that cool air keeps it comfortable. In the weather center, it feels like an arctic blast in June. To compensate I have two space heaters and a cardigan handy at all times. You should see the looks I get from people who come in from the triple digit heat and find me sitting next to a heater. I know it looks strange, but it's either that or have purple toes and lips.

Just when I find myself questioning the reasoning behind our super cooled air, I remember how many people work outdoors in this heat. Just how many people aren't fortunate enough to have air-conditioning. I walk outside for a few minutes to thaw out and quickly go back inside to "beat the heat." There are countless people who don't have that luxury and those are the people I think of when I get convinced my blood is turning to slush. I'll take too cold air that has to be counteracted by heaters, over the summer heat and humidity any day! I'm so thankful, during weeks like these, to be where I am.

To those of you who do work outside, please remember the basics this time of your. Wear sunscreen, drink plenty of fluids, wear light colored clothing, and take breaks, etc. Stay safe out there and stay cool!