Heat wave draws metro families to local pools, high temps expected to last through weekend
High temperatures hit the Twin Cities Monday and several families packed up towels and slathered on sunscreen for a day at the Highland Park Aquatic Center.
People from across the metro sought to cope with the high-90s forecast after the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning on Monday. The areas impacted are mostly in central, east and south-central Minnesota, with the warning lasting until 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Many saw the heat wave as a perfect time to take a dip at one of the many public pools in the metro area.
“We tend to get a bit stir-crazy,” says Erin Johnson, who was at the Highland Park pool, swimming with her two foster children. Especially during the summers, taking advantage of pools in the area is a good way to keep her kids active and safe from the heat, Johnson said.
“I have two little kids with a lot of energy, so this is a manageable thing for us to do,” said Markie Crosby. She sat on the edge of the splash pad, watching her kids Joe and Lulu play in the fountain at the pool. The family just got a new window air conditioning unit, but with Monday’s high of 97 degrees, lounging by the pool really did the trick.
Shannon King tries to bring her grandkids Lewis and Lijah to the pool as often as she can. It’s good exercise for King, as she struggles with tendonitis in her shoulder and in parts of her back. She tries to go several times a week, and Monday was an opportunity to spend time with her grandkids.
But this week’s heat “won’t be as bad as it could be for this time of year,” meaning it could be more dangerous, said Chris O’Brien, meteorologist at the National Weather Service. Monday’s dew point was in the 60s, which is quite high.
“But if we had higher dew points, this could be really unbearable,” O’Brien said.
But so far this summer, the heat is averaging at roughly 75 degrees in the metro, which makes it the tenth hottest average out of 150 years of record keeping, O’Brien said.
Meteorologist Eric Ahasic said forecasts call for temperatures in the 90s through this Saturday. But the worst was expected in the early days of the week — Monday and Tuesday.
High temperatures such as those this week can be a health hazard.
The Salvation Army recently announced a listing of cooling centers available around the Twin Cities. The sites are open to anyone seeking shelter from the heat during their normal business hours. They are:
Salvation Army Temple, 1604 E. Lake St., Minneapolis.
Salvation Army Parkview, 2024 Lyndale Ave. N., Minneapolis.
Salvation Army Noble, 10011 Noble Pkwy., Brooklyn Park.
Salvation Army Eastside,1019 Payne Ave., St. Paul.
Salvation Army Citadel, 401 West Seventh Street, St. Paul.
Salvation Army Lakewood, 2080 Woodlynn Ave., St. Paul.
Salvation Army Central, 2727 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Salvation Army Harbor Light, 1010 Currie Ave., Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, the city of St. Paul offer this advice via Twitter for how best to safely deal with high temperatures: Get inside, stay hydrated, never leave anyone in a closed vehicle, check on loved ones and neighbors, and rest often and protect yourself from the sun.
