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American Morning

Extreme Heat Hits South

Aired July 09, 2001 - 11:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHAD MEYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have Memphis, Tennessee, at 88 degrees, heat index well above 90 degrees, headed to 110 degrees.

And meteorologist Ron Childers from there, our affiliate WMC TV, joins us.

Ron, are you just melting, standing there in a tie?

RON CHILDERS, WMC WEATHER: Chad, I'm dying, OK? The temperature at the top of hour was 88 degrees. Our heat index is 99 degrees already, and here we are, just after 10:00 in the morning. We're calling for a high today of 96 degrees, with a heat index from 102 degrees to 112 degrees. So is going to be sweltering. There is already a heat advisory that has been posted for the mid-South for today and tomorrow. We're looking for highs to remain in mid-90s all week long.

We were very fortunate through the month of June. As a matter of fact, our average mean temperature was a degree and a half lower than normal, and we wondered where's the heat, where's the humidity, because that's what we often hear: It's not the heat; it's the humidity. I tell you what: It arrived, and it arrived with a bang. It's a warm one out here already.

MEYERS: I know you're a professional, but why aren't you standing in shade?

CHILDERS: We thought about that, but this is better light for me.

I wanted to show you something, too. This is our lovely little Washington Monument thermometer, a fine piece of meteorological equipment. We set this out in sun about 15 or 20 minutes ago; it's already reading 100 degrees. You have to keep in mind the official temperature is actually taken in the shade, so you've got to feel for people that are working out in this.

We start saying it right around mid-June: Drink lots of water, wear light, airy clothing, take some breaks. We're going to continue saying that probably until the middle of September, and we'll definitely say it a lot this week.

MEYERS: Ron, it never really cooled down overnight with all that humidity in the air. CHILDERS: Not at all. As a matter of fact, our morning low is only about 79 degrees, and it looks like that's where we're going to be. Once you get to that point where you're not cooling down overnight, you're going to rise quickly in the daytime hours, as sun comes out and heats things up.

As far as we can go or the most we can look for relief are going to be these popcorn showers and thundershowers that tend to pop up during the maximum heating of the day, but as far as any major frontal systems moving in our direction, it's just not going to happening. That high pressure is parked on us. Southwest flow is here. The humidity has arrived, and I've got to tell you it's doing terrible things to my makeup right now.

MEYERS: I bet so.

Ron, we saw what those popcorn showers did to West Virginia last night, as the rain just didn't move. There's no jet stream above us, so we could see even see some flooding from the showers that pop up in the afternoon.

CHILDERS: That's very true, because these things just pop up, stay in one place, and drain themselves out. As far as seeing the flooding situation, I don't think that's going to be the case, but it's very possible that later on in the week, once the humidity levels and that gulf flow continues, we could see showers that produce as much as a half inch of rain around the area.

MEYERS: Dew points all across the Southeast have been amazing for past couple of days.

Ron, thank you very much. Get in the shade. Get some water. Take care of all the pets and the elderly there for us.

CHILDERS: All right.

MEYERS: Stay cool.

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