ST. LOUIS – It didn’t take long to get a sweat going on Wednesday, and tomorrow will be even hotter with triple digits for the first time this year.
“Triple digits are pretty dangerous, like that will keep us inside,” said Claire Field, parent, and parkgoer.
According to the Missouri Health Department, 23 Missourians died last year from heat-related illnesses, and the smoke from Canadian wildfires is not helping either. There are around 50 cooling centers in the St. Louis area, which can be found here.
“Yeah, it is a little bit harder to breathe during the heat of the day and the index, and the last few days we’ve had the smoke,” said Sean Aden, a parkgoer and parent.
The most vulnerable groups are children and senior citizens, but everyone starts to feel the effects of heat once the temperature hit the 90s.
Field was at the park with her two young children.
“You need hats, you need a lot more extra equipment because you’ve got little ones, and they overheat very quickly,” she said.
Aden was at the park with his two sons and said he showed up at the park in the evening to avoid the hotter temperatures during the day.
“We were worried when we came there wasn’t many people here when we first showed up, but they started to fill in and get a lot nicer,” Aden said.
The Department of Health suggests everyone stay hydrated, stay indoors and limit outdoor activities during these hotter days.
“If it really is too hot, I’ll just stay inside in the AC,” said Bryan Steiger.