Milwaukee area is prepping for heat wave

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee area officials are issuing burning bans, extending pool hours and making other preparations in advance of a big heat wave.

High temperatures are forecast in the mid-90s on Wednesday in Milwaukee and upper 90s on Thursday for southern Wisconsin.

National Weather Service meteorologist J.J. Wood says some communities in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties could see 100 degree temperatures Thursday. The last official triple digit temperature recorded at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport was in July 1995, when it was 102 degrees.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports city health officials will monitor hospital emergency rooms and the medical examiner's office for heat-related illnesses and deaths.

There were two suspected heat-related deaths reported last week in Milwaukee when temperatures were cooler than those forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.

Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com.

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