Keep your cool: Local residents deal with heat
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| Gary Ristau, his daughter Kate Askegaard, and grandson, Colin, paddle along the Rock River Wednesday near Lowell Park in Dixon. (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@svnmail.com) |
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STERLING – Sauk Valley has become a sauna.
Both Lee and Whiteside counties were under a heat advisory Wednesday. High temperatures – in the low to mid-90s – felt like more than 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Sterling Fire Chief Arlyn Oetting offered some advice: “If you need a fan, get a fan.”
Oetting encouraged people to take a “common-sense” approach to taking care of themselves.
Fans are one tool for cooling off. Swimming also can take the edge off.
People flocked to Lawrence Park pool. The pool – built in 1925 – attracts 150 to 200 people on a slow day, said Stephanie Milnes, the Sterling Park District’s recreation manager.
“On a day like today, [we] get 200 to 300 people,” she said.
Swimmers are spending their last summer in Lawrence Park Pool. Milnes said it closes for good Aug. 8. Duis Recreation Center will be home to an indoor swimming pool and diving well by fall 2010.
The heat also prompted a run on Arthur’s Garden Deli soft-serve yogurt. Manager Angie St. Pier said Alaskan vanilla proved the most popular flavor. Pasta salad was another popular choice, although, “strangely, people were getting more soup,” she said.
People trying to beat the heat can take refuge at the Whiteside County Senior Center, 1207 W. Seventh St. Sterling, or at the Lee County Council on Aging, 100 W. Second St., Dixon.
“We’ve always been a cooling center,” said Betty Meenen, the Sterling center’s office manager.
In addition to free refreshments, Sauk Valley senior citizens and other visitors have access to a computer and Nintendo Wii.
The forecast
Today: There’s a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms through this afternoon, tapering off to 20 percent tonight. Expect a high in the upper 80s – although the heat index will make it feel like 99 – and a low in the mid 60s.
Friday and Saturday: Sunny, with a high in the upper 80s and a low in the upper 60s.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a 30 percent chance of rain, a high in the upper 80s and a low in the upper 60s.
