WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Heat prompts warning from National Weather Service TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) _ Temperatures soaring towards 100 combined with choking humidity prompted the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning for Connecticut today. The combination was expected to make the air feel like 110 to 115 degrees during the afternoon. Mel Goldstein of the weather center at Western Connecticut State University and News Channel 8 said things won't get better before midweek. "Maybe a front will come through by late Wednesday or Thursday," he said. "But the overpowering influence on our weather is this huge, hot high-pressure system, so we're just going to continue to cook." Forecasters said Hartford could see two 100-degree days in a row for the first time since July of 1991. The last time it reached 100 in the city was July 1995, forecasters said. Despite the weather, officials at Northeast Utilities said the region was not in any danger of overtaxing the power supply. Spokesman Frank Poirot said having most stores and businesses closed for the holiday helped. "Right now, we have a lot of excess capacity," he said, in part because the Millstone III nuclear plant has been restarted. Peak usage Sunday was running at about 17,500 megawatts, but Poirot said that was expected to jump to about 22,000 megawatts Tuesday, when store and office air conditioners crank up again. The heat did have an impact on some holiday plans. Attendance at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison was about 8,000 on Sunday, half of what was anticipated by park officials on what is traditionally the busiest day of the year. "It's not unusual when it gets real, real hot, to see that, attendance dropping off,' park manager Bob Smith said. But Smith said there were no serious heat-related illnesses reported to beachgoers or campers. (Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Heat prompts warning from National Weather Service
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) _ Temperatures soaring towards 100 combined with choking humidity prompted the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning for Connecticut today.

The combination was expected to make the air feel like 110 to 115 degrees during the afternoon.

Mel Goldstein of the weather center at Western Connecticut State University and News Channel 8 said things won't get better before midweek. "Maybe a front will come through by late Wednesday or Thursday," he said. "But the overpowering influence on our weather is this huge, hot high-pressure system, so we're just going to continue to cook."

Forecasters said Hartford could see two 100-degree days in a row for the first time since July of 1991. The last time it reached 100 in the city was July 1995, forecasters said.

Despite the weather, officials at Northeast Utilities said the region was not in any danger of overtaxing the power supply. Spokesman Frank Poirot said having most stores and businesses closed for the holiday helped. "Right now, we have a lot of excess capacity," he said, in part because the Millstone III nuclear plant has been restarted. Peak usage Sunday was running at about 17,500 megawatts, but Poirot said that was expected to jump to about 22,000 megawatts Tuesday, when store and office air conditioners crank up again.

The heat did have an impact on some holiday plans.

Attendance at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison was about 8,000 on Sunday, half of what was anticipated by park officials on what is traditionally the busiest day of the year.

"It's not unusual when it gets real, real hot, to see that, attendance dropping off,' park manager Bob Smith said.

But Smith said there were no serious heat-related illnesses reported to beachgoers or campers.

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