Record Heat Hits Salem Sunday

The record heat is expected to continue Monday, then taper off through the rest of the week.

104 degrees in Salem Sunday, with more heat on the way Photo by: Kevin Hays

(SALEM) - Baby it`s hot outside!

The official high temperature from the National Weather Service in Salem Sunday was 100 degrees, barely breaking the old record of 99 degrees.

But if you were traveling throughout the city, temperature signs read anywhere from 102 degrees in downtown Salem, to 105 degrees in south Salem.

According to the National Weather Service, the hot, dry weather is expected to continue through Tuesday, then taper off to the mid 80`s through the rest of the week.

On Monday, the mercury is expected to top 102 degrees. Salem-Keizer stores were having a hard time keeping up with the demand for such items as bottled water, ice, ice cream, and even sun tan lotion.

Home improvement stores, such as Home Depot, and Lowe`s reported increased sales in air conditioners and fans. Local ice cream parlors, such as Baskin Robbins on Commercial Street said they saw a large number of customers coming in for a nice cool treat to help them beat the heat. The only sales that seemed to suffer from the heat, fireworks.

The two women manning the Northside Fellowship fireworks tent on south Commercial said sales were way down Sunday. The two kept a smile on their face, bottled water nearby, and waited patiently for their next sale.

The fireworks sale is a youth group fundraiser for the church.

Experts say the best defense against ending up in the emergency room during the heat wave is prevention.

Related story on Salem-News.com:

Record High Temperatures Expected Throughout The Willamette Valley Sunday And Monday salem-news.com/articles/june252006/heat_wave_62506.php

Salem area weather forecast