East and South Swelter; Texas Hit by Twisters

A heat wave baked much of the East and South for a third day Tuesday. Temperatures up to 100 degrees, with high humidity, fueled sales of ice cream and air conditioners.

Some of the record highs Tuesday: 101 degrees in Greer, S.C.; 97 in Baltimore; 100 at Atlanta’s airport; 92 in Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 100 in Charleston, S.C. In Columbia, S.C., the mercury reached 104, the National Weather Service said.

Heavy thunderstorms, stretching from Texas to Minnesota and the Ohio Valley, spawned at least two tornadoes in Santa Fe, Tex., and 72-m.p.h. winds at Mankato, Minn. No injuries were reported.

Winds downed power lines and trees in portions of western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The weather service warned that in western Tennessee, temperatures in the mid-90s with 45% humidity would feel like 120-degree heat. Forecasters warned of similar index readings in North Carolina.

“You can hardly breathe out there, but the letter carriers are pretty well acclimated,” said Paula Emerson of the U.S. Postal Service office in Charlotte, N.C. “Bless their hearts, they sweat a lot.”

Warnings to Elderly

The weather service advised people to check frequently on friends and relatives who live alone. It warned that the elderly and people who work outside should avoid exertion.

On Monday, the heat set records from southern New England into the Carolinas. Baltimore had a high of 102 degrees and the temperature in Greer, S.C., and Newark, N.J., reached 100.

A weak cold front Tuesday brought slightly cooler temperatures and a bit less humidity to the northern part of the region. New York City’s high was 90 after two days at 98, and Newark’s fell short of 90 degrees.

“We’re assigning fans as fast as we get them,” said Helen Francis, assistant director of Freestore-Foodbank Inc., which run Operation Cool, supplying fans and air conditioners to needy people in Cincinnati.

Air-conditioner sales were up 25% this week in Indianapolis, where highs have been in the 90s, and calls for service were up 50%, said Bill Overstreet, owner of Airmaster Heating & Cooling.

“We’ve got 26 technicians running about 16 hours a day trying to keep up,” said Gary Daymon, owner of Hoosier Heating & Air Conditioning in Indianapolis.

Ice Cream Demand Up

Also up 50% was the amount of ice cream dipped at What’s the Scoop Ice Creamery in Indianapolis, said manager Vickie Power. Officials of Kroger Co. and Clarks grocery stores in Wabash, Ind., reported a run on Popsicles and other frozen desserts.