Southeast Missouri roads buckle from heat

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Missouri Department of Transportation, or MODOT, is reporting 30 to 35 cases of road buckling due to sweltering heat in its Southeast region.

The damage, known as blow-ups, is caused by the expansion of concrete in the intense summer heat.

Maintenance superintendent Keith Gentry says his crews are working to fix the problems.

“They can still pass over it unless they get real rough or something like that. We’ll go in and push some jackhammers and bust it up. We’ll put some coal mix in there for a temporary patch and then we’ll come back and fix it later on then with a permanent repair,” Gentry said.

Gentry says blow-ups have been pretty widespread throughout the region. Some have occurred on the Interstates and on Highways 60 and 25.

He says this summer has not brought more buckled roads than an average summer.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Slight reprieve from the heat

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Somewhat cooler temperatures are in store for us this week, though it’s pretty safe to say that we can keep the ear muffs and mittens in mothballs for the time being.

Meteorologist Chris Noles with the National Weather Service in Paducah says that the upper level high that has resulted in extreme heat and humidity throughout the region has moved to the west.

“So we’re getting a little bit of a reprieve from the heat and humidity, although it’s not saying much because we’ll still have highs for the next couple of days in the lower 90s and heat index values will still push 100. But thankfully we won’t see values as high as 110, 115 like we experienced last week,” Noles said.

The region is no longer under the heat dome, according to Noles. However, he cautions that we will return to the heat dome by mid-week … and more Extreme Heat Advisories are possible.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Nice and cool at Cape Splash; not so much at Farmers Market

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Temperatures peaked in the upper 90’s Thursday and the heat index value soared to 105. That left a lot of people looking for a way to beat the heat.

A popular place to stay cool is Cape Splash. Tyler Propst is a concession manager there. He says weekdays have been much busier at the water park since temperatures spiked into the upper 90's, and people stay right up until 7:00 when the park closes.

"The only thing we've really done differently now is set up soaker hoses on the concrete to the cool people's feet off so people aren't getting blisters and stuff while walking down from the slide or the lazy river to the splash pad and stuff," Propst said.

Wendy Rieger has become a regular at Cape Splash. She has taken her two sons, Jackson and Griffin, to the water each day this week.

"It seems like it would be too hot to come, but it's actually pretty nice," Rieger said. "When you get out here and the wind is blowing and you can get in the shade and get in the water, it's actually quite nice."

Seven-year old Jackson Rieger doesn't seem to be bothered by the heat. He and his five-year old brother Griffin has been keeping cool and enjoying the summer.

"If we don't go to the water park, we usually go somewhere inside. Like maybe we stay at home. Or sometimes we might go to Le Bounce," Jackson said.

"Sometimes since it's the summer, we get to play Wii more at our house, too," according to Griffin.

It's less cool at Cape Girardeau's Farmers Market at Town Plaza on Independence Street. Vendors can bring their own shade in the form of canopies, but the parking lot still absorbs the sun's blistering heat.

But all-in-all, the heat done didn't scare shoppers away from the weekly market, according to Jeanne Brumleve from Cobden. She keeps busy selling her peaches, tomatoes, green beans, cantaloupes, and other fruits and vegetables. Brumleve says that the key to beating the heat is planning ahead.

"A lot of it is you pick early in the morning. As early as you can just so you can get out of the brunt of the summer noon-time heat. And try to stay hydrated, yourself and the vegetables and fruits," she said.

During hot times, Brumeleve says that customers tend to come earlier so they can get their chores done and head back home.

Today isn't going to bring any change. The scorching heat will continue as high temperatures reach 97 degrees and the heat index blasts off to 107.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Heat continues to wilt southeast Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Stifling hot conditions will continue across the Midwest, making life hard on farmers.

Michael Aide chairs Southeast Missouri State University’s Agriculture Department. He says that hot nights are taking a toll on corn.

"The night times are so warm that we’re losing the photosynthesis we make out during the day," Aide said.

Aide has noticed slower growth in rice and corn. But grain sorghum is thriving.

The wet spring - combined with this summer’s prolonged heat - is a double-whammy for farmers. Many farmers were late to get their crops in the ground, and now the plants are not as developed as they should be.

"Whenever the soils are very wet, when the plants are emerging and beginning to grow, they won’t put down deep roots," Aide said. "They’ll say shallow-rooted. Because of that, we’re paying the price now. The roots systems aren’t as deep as they ought to be and therefore they’re not looking for the deepoer water that might be underneath that root system."

Meteorologist Chris Noles at the National Weather Service says the spring’s floods are partially to blame for the so-called "heat dome’s" misery. Moist soils exacerbate the heat index by keeping humidity high.

"We have a lot of evapotranspiration going on, unlike last year when we were facing more drought-like conditions," Noles said. "This year’s its greener and we’re having more of this evapotranspiration going on. That’s bringing the humidity up."

Hot conditions and heat index readings north of 100 will continue through Sunday. Noles says that Sunday and Monday may cool down a bit … but only in relative terms.

"We have a frontal system that’s forecast to come in to the area Monday morning, and ahead of it during the day Sunday and again Monday we’ll have more clouds and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. That should bring the temperature down a few degrees."

The National Weather Service continues to run its Excessive Heat Warning through Saturday.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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