Toledo sets another record as temperature hits 102 degrees

Toledo temperatures soared into the triple digits on Tuesday for the fourth time this summer, hitting a record high of 102 degrees at The Blade building downtown and 100 at Toledo Express Airport.

Both readings beat a 99-degree high set in 1887 and tied in 1931 downtown. The new record marked the 13th daily record high in Toledo so far this year.

Although unusually high temperatures affected large swathes of the Midwest and East Coast on Tuesday, Ohio was one of the hardest-hit, as the only state besides Delaware to be entirely under a severe weather alert for the heat.

Photo gallery: Keeping cool at the pool

In the scorching afternoon temperatures, activities across the Toledo area slowed as residents sought to stay cool.

Jon Overmyer, treasurer of the Ottawa County Fair, said that while he had no exact numbers, it was clear attendance at the fair's second day Tuesday was "greatly reduced" because of the heat.

"If I didn't have to be here, I'm not sure I'd be out in this heat," Mr. Overmyer said, noting that bad weather reduced fair attendance 25 percent below normal two years ago and cut it by half last year.

Though the fair did not cancel any attractions, the heat did prompt staff to take extra precautions, especially for live animals.

University of Toledo student Raio Sho tries to shield herself from the sun while walking on campus. Temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s today. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Buy This Photo

"Fortunately we got a little wind today, but everything was affected out here. We had the kids working hard keeping fans on the livestock, keeping them hydrated," Mr. Overmyer explained. "It's just the same as for people."

The 100-degree high in Lima, Ohio, was also a record-setter, beating a 99-degree mark from July 17, 1936. But Defiance's 101 was two degrees shy of the record for the date.

The mercury also reached 101 in Adrian, Mich., and at Toledo Executive Airport, but only got to 98 in Findlay.

Business was slow for Michael Darby, who had parked his ice cream truck near Toledo's Jamie Farr Pool and planned to sell to swimmers for two hours. Though this summer's higher-than-average temperatures have boosted his sales, hotter weather helps only up to a point. Once it hits 100, he said, sales cool off.

"I don't actually sell a lot of ice cream when it's this hot," he explained. "People just stay in their houses."

For some, though, the record-breaking temperatures prompted a flurry of activity.

Justin Moor, vice president of planning and program development for the Area Office on Aging, oversaw the operation of 13 emergency cooling centers Tuesday.

The air-conditioned centers, held at senior centers to provide elderly residents with a refuge from the weather to avoid heat-related illnesses, are only held in cases of extreme and prolonged heat, Mr. Moor explained. He estimated that the office on aging has operated cooling centers a dozen times so far this year.

"Up to mid-July, it was half that last year," he said.

A spokesman for ProMedica said that none of that company's hospitals had seen patients for heat-related health issues on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service expected a cold front to pass through Toledo overnight, bringing with it possible thunderstorms and somewhat cooler temperatures today, with a forecast high of 91 degrees.

Sunny skies were forecast to return for Thursday and Friday, but with highs only in the mid-80s -- average for mid-July.

Contact Jessica Shor at: jshor@theblade.com or 419-724-6516.