No. 1 weather killer sears Sumter

Keith Gedamke / The Item Te-Sean Guptill, 7, splashes down off the slide at the Sumter Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon.

By RANDY BURNS
Item Staff Writer
rburns@theitem.com

The official start of summer won't take place until Sunday at 1:46 a.m., but anyone venturing outside in the Sumter area today will feel the heat and humidity all the same.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Tina Morrison said the season's hottest temperatures are expected today with temperatures in the Sumter area reaching triple digits.

"We're looking at temperatures at 100 or 101," Morrison said. "And with high humidity, we're looking to issue a heat advisory for the area on Saturday."

Heat advisories are posted whenever the heat index, which is determined by the combination of temperature and humidity, is expected to reach 105 degrees.

Chris Moore / The Item Item Digital Editor Chris Moore's temperature gauge in his car read 108 degrees around 2:30 Friday afternoon while driving near downtown Sumter.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer and 1,500 people on average die each year from excessive heat.

Morrison advises everyone to limit outside activity from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and to drink plenty of water.

Today's temperatures are expected to come close to the record high for the date, which is 102 degrees set in 1924, Morrison said.

Normal highs are typically about 90 degrees, Morrison said.

Sunday's high is forecast to be 97, and will lower to 90 to 92 by early next week.

A cold front coming through the state on Monday and a lessening of the upper ridge of high pressure which has dominated the area's weather in recent days will create more seasonal temperatures by early next week, said AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel.

"There's a chance for some strong storms on Sunday night and more likely on Monday," Samuhel said.

"The upper ridge is going to move westward by Monday."

Keith Gedamke / The Item Dynasia Tucker, 8, hits the pool as she slides off the Sumter Aquatic Center's slide on Friday afternoon. Tucker has passed three swimming tests since the end of the school year.

A more seasonal pattern is setting up for next week with lower humidity by Wednesday, he said.

The recent heat wave has been responsible for a rash of afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the Sumter area since Monday.

Most locations in the Sumter area have received at least three-quarters of an inch of rain in the past few days, Morrison said.

Up-to-date weather reports:
www.accuweather.com

Heat wave safety tips:
http://tinyurl.com/heattips

Heat disorder symptoms:
http://tinyurl.com/heattips2

Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or (803) 491-4533.