Carrboro and the rest of the O.C. bake away
Lifeguard Elizabeth Hamilton surveys the pool at Heritage Hills. Photo by Kirk Ross
By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
If you had a strange sensation on Monday morning that something wasn’t quite right, that maybe something was missing, you were right. In most places in southern Orange County, there was no dew.
Even though the air was plenty heavy with water, temperatures never dipped low enough Sunday night and early Monday to allow for the usual overnight condensation.
That was an early clue of the heatwave barreling down on us. The next clues were not so obscure.
The official readings at the National Weather Service station at Horace Williams Airport showed a high of 99 on Monday and a low Tuesday morning of 73. After that, things got hot. Wednesday saw the temperature break 103 and hover around there most of the afternoon. Heat index value — a blend of temperature and humidity that signifies how the air feels — was 110 degrees. Haze, which for days helped produce some strange and eerie light as the sun went down, blanketed the area.
In addition to the heat, the Triangle has had a series of bad air days, with ozone levels in the area putting the region in Code Orange territory — unhealthy for sensitive groups — for four afternoons days running.
Warnings for children, asthma sufferers and the elderly to stay inside were a constant through the week, and if you spent any time doing much more than walking in slow motion, even the most healthy among us were inclined to join them there.
But for some, there wasn’t a lot of choice.
Water Up!
With a scrimmage scheduled for Friday against Roanoke Rapids, the Carrboro High School Jaguars were on the field at Culbreth Middle School running drills and heading over to the Water Boy — a large tank and water-pump contraption — with great frequency.
Head Coach Jason Tudryn, sporting a wide brimmed woven hat through practice on Tuesday, said he’s keeping a wary eye on his recruits, trying to make sure there are enough water breaks to keep up with the heat.
Tudryn’s occasionally barked “Water up!†sent a crowd of Jaguars to the sidelines for sipping and soaking. The Water Boy, though just a mechanical one, was never so adored.
In town Tuesday night at the Carolina Carwash, a bottle of water in your hand was a pre-requisite for joining the annual walk through Northside to the Hargraves Center, and, once on the grounds at Hargraves the annual water balloon fight drew a larger-than-usual number of adults.
Carrboro Jaguars water up during a recent practice in the heat. Photo by Kirk Ross
And though the pool might seem a natural place to flock on such days, the crowd at the Heritage Hills Recreation Club this week was somewhat thin. But there was some action there at the snackbar, where Mr. Cool’s specials for the week were strawberry smoothies and a Swiss Miss Fudge Bar. Tom High, a volunteer at Mr. Cool’s, said in such weather it may be hard to compete with the A/C. Those who did venture poolside were soaking it up, though. Randy Jones was one of them, and he did his best to try and make the splash from his cannonball off the high dive reach the summit of the lifeguard stand. He was eventually successful, but it took several tries.
Lifeguard Elizabeth Hamilton, though appreciative, said she usually relies on more traditional methods of hydration.
“I try jumping in the pool from time to time,†Hamilton replied when asked how she kept cool. “That, and I stay in the shade on my breaks.â€
On Saturday, the weather service is predicting temperatures will plunge down to the 90s. Be sure to wear your mittens.