ForecastTemperatures and heat indexes Tuesday: 92 degrees, 102 heat index Wednesday: 92 degrees, 102 heat index Thursday: 92 degrees, 102 heat index Friday: 95 degrees, 106 heat index Saturday: 95 degrees, 106 heat index Sunday: 93 degrees, 103 heat index
After a series of hot days when Chattanooga residents begged for cloud cover and rain, the heavens opened up Monday.
For some area residents, though, the storms brought quite a scare. Between 3:05 and 3:45 p.m., emergency crews were dispatched to four houses struck by lightning, police said.
No injuries were reported at any of the homes, located in the Signal Mountain, Hixson, Ooltewah and Walden’s Ridge areas. But some had fire and smoke damage, said Amy Maxwell, a spokeswoman for Hamilton County Emergency Services.
As of 6:30 p.m., Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport had racked up 0.2 inches of rain, said David Karnes, a meteorologist for WRCB-Channel 3. But even with that, the city is down 7 inches from the average rainfall for the year, he said.
The rain comes on the heels of a string of days back to Tuesday with temperatures at 97 degrees or higher, Mr. Karnes said.
“This summer, it’s a hot one,” he explained. “What we’ve been seeing is a steady diet of above-normal temperatures. That’s given the impression of an overall incredibly hot summer.”
Mr. Karnes pointed to the summer of 1997, which some may remember as being even hotter.
“During the summer of ’97, we had record-breaking temperatures where we had (several days) in a row above 100 degrees,” he said.
Today’s high is predicted at 92, with the heat index at 102 degrees, Mr. Karnes said, adding that Friday and Saturday could bring heat indexes up to 106 degrees.
Monday’s rainfall came as area school football teams were preparing for the beginning of the practice season. Today is the first day that Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association allows teams to train in pads, but if the heat index climbs above 104, coaches must call off practices until it cools down.
For the heat index – figured by a formula that includes temperature and relative humidity – to stay within TSSAA’s rules, Mr. Karnes said two things are needed: The clouds must stick around and the temperature needs to stay near the predicted 92 degrees.
“If we don’t get the clouds and the rain, it could get up to 94 or 95 (degrees) and we may have problems with the heat index,” he said.
Rising temperatures this summer have resulted in a influx of visitors at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, said Jens Christensen, marketing director for the organization.
“Winter and summer are fairly similar in that they both have extreme weather that can result in some health-related issues,” he said.
The average number of visitors at the kitchen from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day is 300 to 350, with 667 being the most so far this summer, he said.
Anyone wishing to help kitchen clients can donate items, including bottled water, food, clothing, sunscreen and money to help with increased utility costs. Those donations can be made on-site or through the organization’s website, Mr. Christensen said.
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