TRAVIS LONG - tlong@newsobserver.com
Allison Price, 16, rests her head on her water bottle during a CASL soccer league informal conditioning practice on Wednesday at the Dorthea Dix campus in Raleigh. The Traingle hit a high of 100 degrees today, with temperatures expected to top 100 Thursday and Friday.
RALEIGH -- The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a heat advisory for the Triangle today, and another overnight, warning people to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and to drink plenty of water.
For good reason: The temperature at Raleigh-Durham International Airport hit 100 this afternoon, tying a record high set in 1977.
The National Weather Service says the heat will continue through the weekend, with highs likely reaching triple digits again Thursday and Friday. The weather service issued another heat advisory for the Triangle for Thursday, warning people to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and to drink plenty of water.
But some people can't remain indoors; the heat prevented waste and recycling crews in northeast Raleigh from completing many of their routes today, according to a City of Raleigh news release. If your trash or recycling was not collected Wednesday, officials ask you to leave your containers curbside for a Thursday morning pickup.
Like most outdoor workers, mail carriers also don't have the luxury of air conditioning.
They spend the hottest times of a day on streets, in delivery trucks that lack air conditioners, except for a fan by the window. At best, the fan blows a constant supply of hot air, said 47-year-old mail carrier Ronald Bourque.
Knowing this week's temperatures will shoot up to high 90s to perhaps 100, Bourque, a former Navy medic, said he is bracing for the worst. He will bring a wet towel and plenty of Gatorade to keep him hydrated.
"We hope for the summer to go away quickly," he said.
The construction workers at the corner of McDowell and Martin streets in downtown Raleigh would agree. Nearly 350 workers climb up and the down the future Wake County Criminal Justice Center, working long hours in the sun. Often they work on the roof of the 11-story building.
Some crews have decided to start as early as 4:30 a.m. to avoid the rising temperatures in the afternoon, said Drew Rintelmann, safety manager for Barnhill and Balfour Realty Joint Venture.
The company buys close to 600 pounds of ice a day to keep the workers cool.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a heat advisory for the Triangle today, warning people to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and to drink plenty of water. The weather service says the heat index - what it feels like with the humidity - could reach 105 to 108 today.
If that happens, the city of Raleigh may consider pulling its collection crews. Fred Cattle, the city's solid waste services director, said he will halt service when the heat index tops 105 degrees.
The Postal Service does not have a similar policy, but Bourque's supervisors give him water and remind him to take breaks, he said.
And even though his vehicle has no air conditioning, it is better than not having a vehicle at all, he said. He remembers in the early 1990s when he delivered mail on foot. With nearly 30 pounds of mail and one gallon of water on his back, he would walk miles around Cameron Village.
"I was strong then," he said. "I don't know if I can do it now."
