Extreme heat wave reaches Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee hit 100 degrees on Wednesday, Aug 24. and we sure felt it.
People were working harder to get by, so were the things that provide relief to us.
Photojournalist Robert Newell and I escaped the heat with air conditioning in the car and later in the studio, but the heat wave has been taxing on both. It was leaving us to wonder 'How reliable are these on days like today?'.
Dustin Gallitz has been fixing cars for eight years. Gallitz is a mechanic at Stickler's Automotive in Wauwatosa.
"Batteries don't like really extreme temperatures," said Gallitz.
With your car running harder in the head, keep an eye on the battery. Also, park it in the shade, top off your fluids, and watch the way you use your A/C.
"Once you get it cool in there, push that recirculating button and that keeps the cold air circulating in the car versus if you have that off you're sucking in all that hot air," said Gallitz.
We Energies has been doing well by keeping homes cool.
"All of our power generation units including our extra ones that we keep for days just like today they're up and running," said Brendan Conway, the We Energies spokesperson.
The Milwaukee area saw small, scattered outages on Wednesday, with some three thousand customers out in the Kenosha area. Wisconsin is a part of a 15-state network that can share energy based on demand.
"They're predicting that across the 15 states they're gonna set a near-record high if not a record for power generation," said Conway.
Thursday is calling for more uncomfortable weather, which could be an expensive day if you are keeping the thermostat cool.
"I would encourage people turn on the fan before you turn down the thermostat to make it cooler because it's gonna save you some money," said Conway.
Milwaukee Public Schools will have a second day off school on Thursday, Aug. 24. Which means another day for Cynthia Anderson to watch her grandchildren.
"Making sure they you know keep cool and everything and try to provide healthy as far as staying out the sun and everything so that's why we chose today to come to the park," said Anderson. Anderson took the children to the Schultz Aquatic Center.
"Really happy that staff was able to come in and work those facilities and offer that cooling service to the communities," said Andrea Wallace, assistant director of recreation and business services for Milwaukee County Parks.
Because of the heat, Milwaukee County Parks also reopened two splash pads and wading pools that had been closed for the season. Wallace estimates 700 guests were at Schultz at any given time on Wednesday.
"We've seen an uptick, but we'll see an uptick in the next week and a half as pools come to a close after Labor Day," said Wallace.
Milwaukee County Parks will be offering a night swim tomorrow due to the heat. It will be at Schultz Aquatic Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.