Heat Persists in Eastern Half of the Nation

Temperature records fell Friday as a shroud of hot, hazy, humid weather hung over the eastern half of the country.

The temperature in Milwaukee hit 94 degrees before noon, setting a record for the date for the third day in a row. The rest of Wisconsin also sweltered. Green Bay hit 94 to break a 73-year-old mark, and Madison set a record at 95.

“We’ll try to remember this when it’s 30 below next winter,” said Steve Struss, who wore a “Fun in the Sun” T-shirt during a visit to the Madison zoo with his wife and daughter.

Buffalo, N.Y., also set a record for the third straight day. The mercury there climbed to 93 degrees Friday and was expected to remain in the 90s today.

“It would be the earliest we’ve ever hit 90 degrees four consecutive days,” said Dave Sage, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Other cities setting records included Burlington, Vt., 93; Cleveland, 93; Flint, Mich., 95; Concord, N.H., 96; Ft. Wayne, Ind., 98; and South Bend, Ind., 97.

At least one heat-related death was reported. In Nashville, Tenn., a 2-year-old died of heat stroke after accidentally being left for eight hours in a van that was supposed to transport him to a day-care center.

In Chicago, seven firefighters were overcome by heat from a fire at a sausage shop. They suffered minor injuries.

“We can only work for a few minutes at a time in this kind of heat,” said Battalion Chief Fred Van Dorne.

World Cup soccer fans in Chicago faced a similar problem with the heat. Temperatures hit 90 and the humidity made it feel like 103. Spectators wore sombreros and sipped soft drinks, beer and pina coladas.

Syracuse, N.Y., opened its city pools early to cool down residents. On Thursday, some residents threw stones at firefighters who tried to turn off open fire hydrants.