Summer heat is gripping much of Minnesota this afternoon, earlier in the season than usual.
An excessive heat warning is in effect through 10 p.m. tonight for Hennepin and Ramsey counties. It's a relatively rare occurrence for the first days of summer.
University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley says it's been 13 years since the dew point drove up Minnesota's heat index to this level in June.
"I don't know what this bodes for the rest of summer. Hopefully not that we're going to have to put up with this, or even worse, in July and August," said Seeley. "But there's a lot of low-level water vapor. When we get the dew points in the upper 70s and approaching the 80s, its going to get very oppressive."
The heat could even become dangerous. Hospitals reported a handful of heat-related illnesses in their emergency departments yesterday and expected more today.
Health officials were urging people to take precautions about the hot weather, just as they would a cold spell or winter storm.
Dr. Cheris Thatcher, an emergency physician at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, said some common-sense steps can keep you healthy in the heat.
"Drink as much as you can, keeping yourself wet, keep yourself out of the heat, or avoiding the warmer times of the day," said Thatcher. "If you need to run or exercise, like a lot of us do, better to do it in the early morning or later in the evening."
She said it's especially important to keep an eye on special populations, like kids and the elderly, who might not communicate well about the effects of the heat.
Thatcher said people with disabilities may also need special attention, particularly if they have a mental disability that might mask serious symptoms of heat-related illness, like confusion.
Still, it could be worse. Xcel Energy today said they haven't yet turned on their "super saver" switches, which voluntarily cycle air conditioning on and off to help reduce peak demands. Xcel said demand is pretty typical of early summer days of recent years.
The weather is expected to break tomorrow. There's a chance of thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow, and high temperatures will be in the low to middle 80s tomorrow.