Stoddard County, Missouri - The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky has issued a SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT UNTIL 11PM CDT WED

...HEAT INDEX VALUES 100 TO 105 DEGREES AGAIN POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI THURSDAY AFTERNOON

... ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF OPPRESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY CAN BE EXPECTED ON THURSDAY, LEADING TO HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES. AT THIS TIME, THE HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS THURSDAY ARE EXPECTED ALONG INTERSTATE 64 AND BETWEEN HARRISBURG AND CAIRO IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, THEN ACROSS THE DELTA REGION OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI TOWARD THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

WHERE RAIN AND CLOUDS DEVELOP, HEAT INDEX VALUES MAY BRIEFLY LESSEN. BE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, TAKE FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN THE SHADE OR AIR CONDITIONED SHELTER.

GET OUT OF THE HEAT, IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING HEALTH ISSUES. BE WATCHFUL FOR THOSE ESPECIALLY IMPACTED BY THE HEAT. YOUNG CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, PERSONS WITH SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES, AND PETS ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE HEAT DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR. DO NOT LEAVE YOUNG CHILDREN OR PETS IN CARS WITH CLOSED WINDOWS

...THIS COULD BECOME DEADLY SITUATION IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HEAT INDEX VALUES SHOULD FALL THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING, OUTSIDE OF EXISTING AREAS OF RAIN.