Heat in Hopkins, Kentucky

Several days of excessive heat and humidity caused a significant increase in heat-related illnesses. A 46-year-old construction worker from Livingston County suffered a heart attack in which heat was a factor, but heat was not the direct cause of death. The heat index peaked around 110 degrees each afternoon, and dropped to only around 80 degrees at night. True air temperatures reached the mid 90's, with overnight lows in the mid 70's. At Paducah, the heat index topped out at 107 degrees on the 21st, 110 on the 22nd, 102 on the 23rd, 109 on the 24th, 104 on the 25th, and 100 on the 26th. These heat indices were representative of the rest of western Kentucky. At Paducah, a record high minimum temperature was set on the 25th, when the low was 77 degrees. The previous record was 74 degrees in 1958. The heat wave was the result of an expansive surface high pressure system extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. A light southerly wind flow, combined with moist ground from the remnants of Hurricane Dennis earlier in the month, allowed dew points to hover just below 80 degrees.