Heat in Stoddard, Missouri

High temperatures reached the mid to upper 90's during this four-day streak of high heat indices. The heat caused a few instances where pavement buckled on state highways, as well as several streets in Poplar Bluff. There were several pavement blowups on Highway 25 between Dexter and Bloomfield. A medical clinic reported an increase in heat-related illnesses. A manufacturing plant in Poplar Bluff dismissed its 260 workers early due to the high heat and humidity. High humidity produced heat indices locally around 105 degrees on some afternoons. While one county reached the 105-degree threshold for a Heat Advisory each afternoon, most reached it only once or twice. A strong upper-level ridge remained quasi-stationary from the Tennessee Valley to the southern Plains through the period of heat. Dry weather associated with the ridge, combined with the heat, caused farmers to begin irrigating their fields earlier than usual.