Summer starts with sizzle

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 26 June 2012 17:49

Monday’s temperature of 111 said it all and easily explained why not many people were driving, walking or shopping in downtown Hillsboro.

Unfortunately, not every one could follow the lead of Frank Wichert (top), who tries to catch the ball before he splashes down at the Hillsboro Aquatic Center, or Quinlyn Funk (middle), who makes a big splash on the waterslide.

  Alex Laugeman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Wichita, said most of Kansas is baking with triple-digit temperatures, but so far the temperatures aren’t breaking any records. “Last year at this time, we already had eight days of 100 degrees or more,” he said.

On a positive note, though, the humidity was at 23 percent, which Laugeman said was low. The extreme heat is expected to last through the remaining days of June, but a “cooling trend” with temperatures in the 90s could offer some relief next week, he said.