The National Weather Service in Tulsa has expanded the coverage area of the Excessive Heat Warning. The warning now includes all of the Tulsa Metro and well as major counties in West Central Arkansas. Below is the text from the Tulsa Weather Service Office:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 332 AM CDT MON JUL 30 2012 ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THURSDAY... AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS IN EFFECT... FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... * IN OKLAHOMA...CREEK...OKFUSKEE...OKMULGEE...WAGONER...TULSA... ROGERS...PAWNEE...WASHINGTON...OSAGE...NOWATA...PITTSBURG... MCINTOSH AND MUSKOGEE. IN ARKANSAS...CRAWFORD AND SEBASTIAN. HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * DANGEROUSLY HOT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEK WITH DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 105 TO 112 DEGREES EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL FALL INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S IN MOST AREAS...BUT WILL ONLY DROP INTO THE 80S IN URBANIZED AREAS SUCH AS TULSA AND FORT SMITH. IMPACTS... * THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... * TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. * TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY...CALL 911.