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Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Midwest cities bake as heat wave blankets the Central US
Dick Kraklow rolled into Minneapolis this past week with three generations of his family and several vintage vehicles in tow, excited for an annual gathering of the Minnesota Street Rod Association that celebrates classic cars. But instead of setting up Saturday morning to display their collection, Kraklow, 42, and his family were loading up to drive back to Wisconsin. Several members of the group are in their late 70s, and the heat radiating off the asphalt at the state fairgrounds in St. Paul on Friday caused the family to change plans. 'We love the show,' Kraklow, a welder from Muskego, Wisconsin, said as his uncle angled a yellow 1957 Ford Thunderbird onto a trailer. But ultimately, he said, 'It's too hot.' Millions of Americans on Saturday faced sweltering conditions as a dangerous heat wave brought rising temperatures to the Midwest and central Plains. By the evening, the National Weather Service reported that the heat index — a measure of how hot it feels that accounts for both heat and humidity — had hit highs of 101 degrees in Des Moines, Iowa, 104 in Chicago and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 105 in St. Louis and Minneapolis, where the high temperature of 96 degrees broke a record for this date. In Omaha, Nebraska, forecasters said that it would feel this weekend like it was 100 to 110 degrees -- in the shade. The most extreme heat was expected to move east and south over the next several days. New York City, Washington and Philadelphia could all break 100 degrees on the heat index by the end of the weekend. Several cities could see heat records broken. Over the entire country, more than 64 million people were under an extreme heat warning. Climate scientists have found that climate change has made heat waves more common, more intense and longer lasting worldwide, though attributing a specific heat wave to climate change is tricky. Cities and towns across the Midwest on Saturday had opened cooling centers and issued warnings to residents, advising them to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to check on vulnerable neighbors and relatives. Some forecasters worried that more people could be at risk because cooler-than-normal temperatures this spring might make acclimating to this sudden jump in heat more difficult. Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, where the heat index was over 90 degrees and climbing by midday Saturday, said in an interview that he was 'incredibly concerned about the heat wave.' Johnson, who was attending a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida, noted that this year was the 30th anniversary of a 1995 heat wave that killed more than 500 people in Chicago. He said city officials were focused this weekend on supporting residents who might be most at risk from heat-related health concerns. 'Our administration has activated the full force of government' to ensure people remain safe, he said, an effort that included the city's parks and libraries; police, fire and public health departments; and a collaboration with utility companies. In the city's Lincoln Square neighborhood, where forecasters expected temperatures to remain in the 90s for several days, Jeremy Underhill and his 9-year-old daughter took refuge in the shade outside a coffee shop. 'I usually drink hot tea, but it's iced coffee today,' said Underhill, a 52-year-old operations manager at a trading firm. He added that his family was having second thoughts about their commitment to attend an outdoor block party later in the day. In St. Louis, some library branches that were serving as cooling centers were seeing an influx of traffic, said Justin Struttmann, chief operating officer for the city's public library. He said some residents who headed there for relief had been affected by the severe storm and tornadoes that damaged large sections of the city in May. 'Where we have more people that are in need of those resources — they don't have AC, maybe their home was destroyed, or their AC was knocked out from the storm -- those locations are getting an uptick of activity,' he said. In some areas, including Des Moines, a slight breeze made conditions more tolerable. Duane Huey, 72, left a Price Chopper supermarket with four 1-gallon jugs of water in his grocery cart. 'Actually, I love the heat,' he whispered, laughing. 'As I've gotten older, the cold gets to me more.' He also said that walking in the warm wind was 'kind of like getting a warm hug.' Others were similarly unfazed. Moe Nuhman, a 39-year-old jewelry trader, who was out walking 3 miles from his Rogers Park home in Chicago, thought the weather was fine. 'This is Chicago. It gets hot. I love it,' he said. 'When you walk, you live longer.' Back in Minneapolis, Kraklow and his family finished preparing their caravan of vintage cars for the trip home to Wisconsin. His son and nephew, both 17, were charged with driving one prized piece of their collection, a 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air, back home along the country roads. The vehicle didn't have air conditioning. Kraklow did not envy them. 'It's going to be a long day of just sweating in the car,' he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Midwest cities bake as heatwave blankets the central US
A pedestrian uses an umbrella to weather 94-degree heat in Chicago on June 21, 2025. PHOTO: THE NEW YORK TIMES Mr Dick Kraklow rolled into Minneapolis this past week with three generations of his family and several vintage vehicles in tow, excited for an annual gathering of the Minnesota Street Rod Association that celebrates classic cars. But instead of setting up on the morning of June 21 to display their collection, Mr Kraklow, 42, and his family were loading up to drive back to Wisconsin. Several members of the group are in their late 70s, and the heat radiating off the asphalt at the state fairgrounds in St Paul on June 20 caused the family to change plans. 'We love the show,' Mr Kraklow, a welder from Muskego, Wisconsin, said as his uncle angled a yellow 1957 Ford Thunderbird onto a trailer. But ultimately, he said, 'It's too hot.' Millions of Americans on June 21 faced sweltering conditions as a dangerous heatwave brought rising temperatures to the Midwest and Central Plains. By early afternoon, the National Weather Service reported that the heat index – a measure of how hot it feels that accounts for both heat and humidity – had hit 33.4 deg C in Minneapolis, 36.7 deg C in Des Moines, Iowa, 37.2 deg C in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 40.6 deg C in St. Louis. In Omaha, Nebraska, forecasters said that it would feel like it was 100 to 110 degrees this weekend – in the shade. The most extreme heat was expected to move east and south over the next several days.] New York City, Washington and Philadelphia could all break 100 deg F (37.8 deg C) on the heat index by the end of the weekend. Several cities could see heat records broken. Over the entire country, more than 64 million people were under an extreme heat warning. Climate scientists have found that climate change has made heatwaves more common, more intense and longer lasting worldwide, though attributing a specific heatwave to climate change is tricky. Cities and towns across the Midwest on June 21 had opened cooling centers and issued warnings to residents, advising them to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to check on vulnerable neighbors and relatives. Some forecasters worried that more people could be at risk because cooler-than-normal temperatures this spring might make acclimating to this sudden jump in heat more difficult. Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, where the heat index was over 32.2 deg C and climbing by midday on June 21 , said in an interview that he was 'incredibly concerned about the heatwave'. Mr Johnson, who was attending a meeting of the US Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida, noted that 2025 was the 30th anniversary of a 1995 heatwave that killed more than 500 people in Chicago. He said city officials were focused this weekend on supporting residents who might be most at risk from heat-related health concerns. 'Our administration has activated the full force of government' to ensure people remain safe, he said, an effort that included the city's parks and libraries; police, fire and public health departments; and a collaboration with utility companies. In the city's Lincoln Square neighborhood, where forecasters expected temperatures to remain in the 90s for several days, Mr Jeremy Underhill and his 9-year-old daughter took refuge in the shade outside a coffee shop. 'I usually drink hot tea, but it's iced coffee today,' said Mr Underhill, a 52-year-old operations manager at a trading firm. He added that his family was having second thoughts about their commitment to attend an outdoor block party later in the day. In St Louis, some library branches that were serving as cooling centers were seeing an influx of traffic, said Mr Justin Struttmann, chief operating officer for the city's public library. He said some residents who headed there for relief had been affected by the severe storm and tornadoes that damaged large sections of the city in May. 'Where we have more people that are in need of those resources – they don't have AC, maybe their home was destroyed, or their AC was knocked out from the storm – those locations are getting an uptick of activity,' he said. In some areas, including Des Moines, a slight breeze made conditions more tolerable. Mr Duane Huey, 72, left a Price Chopper supermarket with four 1-gallon jugs of water in his grocery cart. 'Actually, I love the heat,' he whispered, laughing. 'As I've gotten older, the cold gets to me more.' He also said that walking in the warm wind was 'kind of like getting a warm hug.' Others were similarly unfazed. Mr Moe Nuhman, a 39-year-old jewelry trader, who was out walking 3 miles from his Rogers Park home in Chicago, thought the weather was fine. 'This is Chicago. It gets hot. I love it,' he said. 'When you walk, you live longer.' Back in Minneapolis, Mr Kraklow and his family finished preparing their caravan of vintage cars for the trip home to Wisconsin. His son and nephew, both 17, were charged with driving one prized piece of their collection, a 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air, back home along the country roads. The vehicle didn't have air conditioning. Mr Kraklow did not envy them. 'It's going to be a long day of just sweating in the car,' he said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A police, fire and aviation summer camp? At 84, he's all about it
With the excitement of a teenager and the time-worn experience of an elder, Steve Hurvitz describes a five-day summer camp that takes young people through a free crash course in first responder training, from sitting in on mock water rescues to handling police canines. It's grown so popular, he says, that organizers will host it twice this summer, back to back, to keep up with demand, and hope to possibly roll out three sessions a year from now. At the age of 84, Hurvitz might not strike the casual observer as an obvious choice for summer camp cheerleader, but few can talk up the benefits of the Learning Jet's First Responders Camp like its founder and chairman emeritus. Among his many hats, Hurvitz is a parliamentarian with the Minnesota Street Rod Association, which is a long story, and he was known as 'The Zebra' in his 13 years talking high school and collegiate football on a show on WCCO-TV, which is an even longer story. In 1998, his years spent representing Division II and III college refs on the NCAA rules committee helped land him in a YMCA 'Sports Legends' Hall of Fame. 'I've had a wonderful life — a wonderful life!' said Hurvitz, standing on the deck of a Boeing 727-200 cargo jet he keeps grounded at Holman Field, the downtown St. Paul municipal airport, outside a hangar dedicated in his honor. It's the same type of plane legendary thief and hijacker D.B. Cooper parachuted out of in 1971, never to be seen again, says Hurvitz excitedly, before leading an impromptu tour from its cockpit back to its black box. His time is limited on this particular day — there's a storm rolling in, and as a ham radio volunteer with the National Weather Service, he has duties — but he recalls a group of developmentally disabled young people who sat down for one of his whirlwind interactive aviation seminars, which he was told to keep to no more than an hour. By the time he had answered enough questions to satisfy their interest, three hours had flown by, so to speak. A decade ago, Hurvitz teamed with the Minnesota Association of Women in Aviation and a host of other partners, donors and volunteers to get the 153-foot Boeing and the nearby hangar ready to host summer camp. The Learning Jet's First Responders Camp was launched in 2015 with the plane, donated by Federal Express, serving as an on-site learning laboratory. Some nights brought him out at 1:30 a.m. to install interior paneling himself. A group of about 10 volunteers — the Learning Jet's 'tenders' — put in their own toil on the cargo jet, which once flew for Braniff Airways, said Mike Smith, a founding board member. 'We completely gutted the airplane and converted it into a classroom,' recalled Hurvitz, who retired from state employ in 2006 as assistant state director of aeronautics, the job he held after serving as assistant director of land acquisition. The Learning Jet hosted 31 young people ages 15 to 20 at the donor-driven summer camp last year, and will host two free day camps this June and July, with the latter still accepting enrollees through a mid-May application deadline. 'This is the first year we'll do two camps, and if we get enough interest, we'll add another camp next year,' Hurvitz said. 'We're always looking for donors.' Camp opens with a trip to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a daylong tour through all things aviation, including a look at how firefighters put out fires aboard planes, and an introduction to airport police and airport police dogs. The second day introduces them to the work of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and its divers, airboats and snowmobiles. Day three involves a visit from the Minnesota Air Rescue Team, as well as a visit to the St. Paul Fire Training facility off Snelling Avenue to suit up for hands-on demonstrations of pressure hoses and the jaws of life. On day four, a Life Link rescue helicopter lands at Holman Field to explain the work of flight nurses and paramedics, and St. Paul fire trainers get campers certified in first aid training. The final day features a tour through the work of the St. Paul Police Department, with an introduction to police canine handlers, the bomb squad, a crisis negotiator, drones and the SWAT team. The camp has yet to take any students airborne, though that's not entirely out of the question. It has taken some onto the water for demonstrations of water rescues, which are always more fun when an elected official is willing to float on White Bear Lake in a life jacket before being airlifted into the sky. Last year, students shadowing the county boat patrol sat in as two boaters received written warnings, says Horvitz, amusedly. Wilder East Clinic opens on St. Paul's East Side NAMI MN Sue Abderholden to retire as executive director after 24 years Woman killed in St. Paul home, her 2-year-old found unharmed State fines Regions Hospital for improper medical waste disposal St. Paul police: 2nd grader said he brought gun to school to show friends He's tracked at least a handful of former campers who have gone on to enroll in Junior ROTC or become paramedics, and at least a couple are working toward becoming firefighters. As he looks forward to his 85th birthday, Hurvitz is more than happy to share a few life lessons. 'I've found that the more I do, and the more fun I have, the better off things are,' he said.
