107-degree temperature sets record

Another record was reached Wednesday when the temperature reached 107 degrees in the Shoals.

Not only was it the hottest temperature recorded for the date, the 107-degree reading marked the second-hottest day on record in the Shoals, said Robert Boyd, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Huntsville.

"It was toasty warm in the Shoals," Boyd said.

Wednesday was the ninth consecutive day of the temperature reaching 100 degrees or hotter in the Shoals. No August on record in the Shoals has seen more consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures.

Lately, it has been another day and another high temperature record in the Shoals.

The 107 reading was recorded at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday at the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals.

The hottest temperature on record was 108 degrees, last reached on Aug. 8, 1930.

Some unofficial weather stations around the Shoals recorded high temperatures as hot as 110 degrees Wednesday.

Compounding the problem of the record-setting hot weather is the lack of rain. The last rain recorded at the Muscle Shoals airport was July 31.

"It has been as hot and dry in August as anyone can remember," said Tim Reed, Franklin County coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "The heat and the drought have really taken a toll on everything."

Hospital officials say they have been pleasantly surprised with how well area residents are dealing with the extreme heat. They say few people have visited hospitals seeking treatment for heat-related illnesses.

After today, with a high temperature of 102 degrees expected, temperatures are forecast to moderate slightly, with highs in the middle to upper 90s forecast through Tuesday. There is a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms Sunday through Tuesday.

"The best chance of rain looks like next Monday or Tuesday, but it doesn't look like very good chances right now," Boyd said. "We really need some rain, everything is very dry."

Water systems throughout the Tennessee Valley are asking customers to refrain from washing cars and watering lawns to conserve water.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.