Carnival Forecast: Brutal Temps

The air felt like the hot breath of a heat monster Monday night around 8:30 as temperatures hovered in the upper nineties. A cloud formation lit by the setting sun could be seen in the western sky over downtown making the idea of a fire-breathing, dragon-like creature seem even more real. – Photo by Jack Gurner

By David Howell
Editor

WATER VALLEY – The good news of the week is the 100-plus temperatures should have passed by the start of the 41st Annual Watermelon Carnival on Thursday evening. The bad news is hot weather remains in the forecast during the weekend – 97 degrees with scattered showers Friday and 96 degrees on the Saturday, the carnival’s busiest day.

    With the extreme forecast, this year’s carnival is shaping up to rival the 2008 carnival when the heat and humidity prompted an excessive heat warning during carnival weekend. In 2008, the  heat was cited for nine emergency calls, both at the carnival and elsewhere in the county during the weekend.

    This year the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Depart-ment, working with the Yalobusha County Emer-gency Management Agency and the Yalobusha County Emergency Medical Ser-vices, are manning a medical post at the carnival from Thursday to Saturday.

    “We will have an air-conditioned travel trailer at the park,” Sheriff Lance Humphreys reported. First responders will be stationed at the unit, which will also be used as a “cooling off” area for carnival guests.

    “Everybody needs to stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids,” Humphreys advised. “And never leave children or pets in enclosed vehicles.”