The heat goes on and on until Friday in the Valley

July 6, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Staff/wire report

YOUNGSTOWN

The holiday weekend’s scorching weather was just the beginning of a five-day heat wave that’s hitting the Mahoning Valley hard.

With today’s forecast high of 94 degrees and temperatures potentially reaching 96 degrees by Thursday, the area is poised for its hottest weather so far this year, according to the National Weather Service forecast for Youngstown.

Mark Koontz, meteorologist for WFMJ Channel 21, said only four days total were recorded in 2009 with temperatures in the 90s. This area is set to break that record by week’s end.

Koontz said the extended period of hot, dry weather is caused by an area of high pressure.

“We’ve got an area of high pressure that’s virtually been sitting stationary down to the Southeast pulling very warm air out of the Southwest,” he said. “The heat index is going to be close to 100. So you’ve got humidity and dew point, and all of those things make it very uncomfortable.“

Koontz said the high heat can be dangerous, so elderly people should stay inside a cool place and limit outdoor exposure.

He said those who do go outside should take several precautions.

“Make sure you’ve got a hat on, and wear plenty of sunscreen,” he said. “Wear light, loose clothing. ... Those things help keep you cool.”

Koontz said temperatures should begin to dip back down into the 80s by Friday, with a high of about 86 degrees and will be in the low 80s this weekend, which he said is average for this time of year.

The record high for this date in the Valley is 98 degrees, set in 1988. The record low is 43 degrees, set in 1979, according to the NWS.

It looks as if much of the nation will be dealing with hot weather all week, with temperatures en route to 100-plus degrees in the East and Midwest.

Temperatures reached into at least the 90s Monday from Maine to Texas, into the Southwest and Death Valley.

In the East, warm air is “sitting over the top of us, and it’s not really going to budge much for the next day or two,” said Brian Korty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Md.

Korty said after that, a system coming in off the Atlantic Ocean would bring in lower temperatures.

The long weekend had more people out seeking relief. Five Connecticut state parks had to stop admitting people because they had reached capacity.

A major utility restricted water use on the New Jersey shore, forbidding residents from watering lawns and washing cars.

About 17,000 customers in northern New Jersey lost power for more than four hours Monday, though Jersey Central Power and Light spokesman Jim Markey said it wasn’t clear whether the outage was related to the heat.