BLOG: Broken AC unit forces Rushton Elementary in Shawnee Mission School District to close Tuesday

UPDATE, 9:20 p.m. | The KCK School District announced there will be no outdoor afternoon or evening sports activities through at least Thursday, August 24th.

UPDATE, 9:15 p.m. | Broken AC unit forces Rushton Elementary School in SMSD to cancel classes Tuesday.

UPDATE, 6:10 p.m. | Johnson County MED-ACT reports 10 people have been treated for heat-related illnesses since 6 p.m. Sunday.

One person was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

No word on what caused the person's illness.

UPDATE, 5:05 p.m. | Extreme heat has caused the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District to cancel all activities at Mid-America Sports Complex, Mid-America West Sports Complex, Heritage Softball and Heritage Soccer Park.

JCPRD reports the cancellations run through Aug. 24.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m. | The Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools District informed parents, teachers and staff Monday afternoon that continued high temps will force the district to release all students early for the remainder of the week.

Earlier Monday, the school released early students a selected number of schools.

The announcement made late Monday afternoon effects students at all schools.

KCPS

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m. | For the third consecutive day, Kansas City International Airport has reached a head index of at least 119 degrees.

UPDATE, 4:03 p.m. | An orange ozone alert has been issued for Tuesday, Aug. 22, in the Kansas City region, according to the Mid-America Regional Council.

This is the 14th such alert of the year.

Residents are encouraged to stay inside, properly hydrate and reduce emissions by postponing mowing and refueling until the evening.

UPDATE, 3:40 p.m. | The Olathe Public Schools district has canceled all outdoor after-school activities for middle and high school levels until Thursday.

Teams may practice earlier in the morning or hold practices indoors.

UPDATE, 3:27 p.m. | The National Weather Service of Kansas City conducted a small heat-related experiment Monday.

In testing temperatures of different shirt fabrics and colors, NWS concluded a white T-shirt or white jersey is best.

"Remember to wear light colors in this heat and stay indoors as much as possible.," NWS shared on social media.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m. | The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities is confident the company is "prepared to meet high energy and water demand."

However, BPU welcomes any conscious changes customers make to conserve energy and help "decrease stress on the grid and water system."

UPDATE, 2 p.m. | The Shawnee Mission School District canceled all outdoor recess and activities for the remainder of Monday.

In addition, all after-school activities are being moved inside.

UPDATE, 1:26 p.m. | The Kansas City Public Schools district dismissed some students early Monday citing the extreme heat.

The seven schools included Central High School, East High School, Lincoln Prep, Northeast High School, Paseo Academy, Southeast High School and Success at Anderson.

"Due to extreme heat, we have released students early in our Tier 1 schools," the district said in an X. "The heat index is above 100 degrees, and many of our secondary buildings don't have central A/C. Families have been notified, and we will continue to communicate any additional potential adjustments."

UPDATE, 1:15 p.m. | The 1 p.m. reading from the Lawrence, Kansas, Municipal Airport shows an actual air temp of 102 degrees, but when combined with high humidity, the heat index makes it feel like 130 degrees.

KSHB

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. | The Southwest Power Pool - an independent agency that coordinates power generation and load across the Midwest, issued a Conservative Operations Advisory Monday morning due to high load caused by high temps and a forecast that doesn't include much wind.

The advisory doesn't have any direct impact on power customers.

Evergy says high temps have caused a few outages over the last couple of days but nothing that wouldn't be expected during high temps.

The Evergy outage map showed no significant or widespread outages as of 12:30 p.m. Monday.

UPDATE, Noon | As of 11 a.m. Monday, the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri, was already reporting 91 degrees. Combined with high humidity, the heat index had already reached 105 degrees.

Further west in Lawrence, the heat index had already climbed to 120 degrees.

Air conditioners across Kansas City are likely to be screaming this week to keep up with the demand.

Evergy, the area's largest utility provider, offered several tips Monday morning on how to give your air conditioner - and wallet - a bit of a break.

The Kansas City Board of Utilities in Kansas City, Kansas, also offered tips Monday, including setting your thermostat several degrees higher, especially if you are not home.

EARLIER | It's day three of a brutal hate wave in the Kansas City area and experts are warning that safety precautions need to be taken.

Monday's forecast predicts a high of 96 degrees, with a heat index reaching up to 115-125 degrees. The stretch of scorching temperatures will continue throughout the week, with an Excessive Heat Warning in place until 10 p.m. Thursday.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Johnson County MED-ACT said nearly 170 people were evaluated for heat-related issues Saturday and Sunday at the 2023 Garmin KC Air Show at New Century AirCenter. Six people required transportation to an area hospital for additional treatment.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department said paramedics were dispatched to at least 17 heat exposure calls on Sunday, though there may have been additional heat-related calls that were dispatched as other medical symptoms.

Andy Bailey with NWS Kansas City described the heat wave as historic and possibly unprecedented.

"The conditions are likely to be fatal if proper precautions can't be or aren't taken," he warned. "This is not like every other heat episode we've had in the 16+ years I've been here. This is far and away the most dangerous."

Bailey recommends not working or undergoing strenuous activity outside unless its early in the day and keeping school activities indoors unless early in the morning. He is also advising the public to check in on elderly neighbors or relatives and those without air conditioning.

Cooling centers are available for those without access to AC. KCMO's community centers are open for the public during regular business hours. The Johnson County Library system's 14 locations also offer a cool place to beat the heat. The state of Missouri also has a cooling center map online, showing the locations of cooling centers in the Kansas City area on both sides of the state line.

On Monday morning, the heat comes alongside dense fog. KSHB 41 meteorologist Jeff Penner explains how the two coexist.

WEATHER BLOG | Heat wave day 3, dense fog, active tropics and next cold front

NWS Wichita reported that the heat index in Lawrence rose to 134 degrees Sunday, and Manhattan clocked in the highest temperature in the contiguous Unites States Saturday at 115 degrees.

—