Potentially dangerous heat forecast for Northeast Indiana

Near record temperatures are forecasted for Northeast Indiana this week. Forecasts called for heat index values near 100 and 110 degrees for Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The National Weather Service, or NWS, said it’s the kind of heat that can be deadly without proper precautions.

NWS said the forecasted heat indices for Wednesday and Thursday make it dangerous for vulnerable portions of the population like seniors and young children to be outside for an extended period of time without light lightly-colored clothes, plenty of water and nearby shade.

Local organizations in Northeast Indiana announced they’ve made adjustments to their operations in response to the coming heat.

• Fort Wayne’s Public Works Department said it will start recycling collection an hour earlier Wednesday through Friday
• Officials at Trine University and the City of Angola said they are pushing Thursday’s Trine Festival back a week
• The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory on Calhoun Street in Downtown Fort Wayne announced it will open as a cooling center from 10:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening.
• The Weisser park Youth Center on Eckert Street will open from 10:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening on Wednesday as another cooling center location.
• The Salvation Army announced Tuesday it will open as a cooling center from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday.

NWS Meteorologist Michael Skipper said this kind of heat does not hit Indiana very often.

“With 81 as the norm, and we’re shooting for 99,” Skipper said. “So we’re actually going to be 18 or so degrees above normal on Thursday.”

Skipper said this kind of heat hits Indiana roughly every two to four years. He said in this case, the heat bubble that caused southwest states like Arizona and New Mexico to heat up to 110 degrees for a record of consecutive days made its way to the Midwest and into Northeast Indiana.

Because of the different climates in Northeast Indiana and the Southwest, the air temperature should not get as high here, and Skipper said a cold front moving south into Northeast Indiana will keep the heat from lasting much longer past Thursday.

He said temperatures should get down to the mid to upper 70’s by the weekend.