Unforgiving heat blanketed the Kansas City area Thursday as temperatures soared into the triple digits and the heat index topped 110 degrees.
Such conditions made it especially grueling for crews working outside, like the one from K&G Striping that was busy installing new bike lanes along Armour Boulevard.
“We're excited to get this bike lane finished," supervisor Rob Hicklin said. "Hopefully, the heat will stay away from us but, it doesn't look like it."
The heat makes things particularly miserable for asphalt crews.
“Makes it a lot hotter, definitely," Hicklin said. "Sometimes we do parking lots and you're stripping over new asphalt and it feels like its 30 times hotter."
Crews pouring concrete at the 18th & Vine Historic District started early and planned to finish early today.
“Temperatures like this, this will be the last pour we make today," construction supervisor Eric Bachman said. "It's just too hot. We can’t control the concrete."
His crew normally works 10-hour shifts, but the work day was trimmed to eight hours during to weather conditions.
Crews pouring concrete here in the 18th and Vine district on this very hot day. The manager tells me they will wrap up earlier today because of the excessive heat. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/BPLdKtfAn4
— Nick Starling (@NickStarlingTV) June 28, 2018
According to Bachman, the key is to keep an eye on each other when temperature are this hot.
“It gets hard on you," he said. "We get light-headed bending over and stuff, and I mean you gotta keep hydrated out here in this weather.”
Lawn care crews also struggled through Thursday's brutal temps, but they also are taking it a little easier.
“We take it a little slower, make sure to drink lots of water,” Ryan Lawn &Tree Department Manager Andy Jones said. "Our crew leader was nice enough to buy Gatorade for everyone today, so just kind of watch out for each other and make sure if you see somebody kind of slow down."
Tough day for lawn care crews too being out in this heat. They hope to get done before it gets even hotter outside. #kswx #mowx @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/3fm7MEaf7P
— Nick Starling (@NickStarlingTV) June 28, 2018
All the crews prioritized safety and hydration.
“Always drinking water, trying to take breaks any time you can find some shade," Hicklin said. "That's really important. Get an AC break, too."
But the heat isn’t all bad for business. Some shops are cashing in on the heat, like Miami Ice.
“When it's hot, it's good for everybody," Miami Ice store manager Justus Gardner said. "I mean, definitely get a lot more business. It's good for us; it's good for me. I get more tips and kids definitely love it."
Last week, Gardner said the rain washed away some business, but he likes what he sees in the forecast and is preparing accordingly.
"One thing you gotta do is stock up basically how much ice cream you need and order ahead of time for the week, because sometimes we'll go through a whole bucket of a couple of flavors in one day and you gotta make sure you're ready for that," he said.
