The recent heat wave has resulted in record-breaking power usage and has left those working outdoors in a struggle to protect themselves.

Katie Magee, meteorologist with the NWS in Huntsville, said the hottest day so far this year was Thursday, when the temperature reached 98 and the heat index was 108. Today, due to a lower dew point — and thus lower humidity — she said the heat index should get to 102.

“Especially if you’re in the sun, it’s going to feel dangerous. So we’re going to encourage people to limit their time outdoors, make sure that they’re wearing light clothing, emphasizing staying hydrated throughout the day. And that’s really going to be throughout the week,” Magee said.

Magee said the temperature this Thursday should be between 98 and 100 degrees. “For the rest of the week we’re going to be solidly in the mid-90s; you’re looking at 95, 96. That’s going to continue through the weekend. We might get up into the upper 90s again Friday through Sunday.”

Magee said this week “we’re running about five to 10 degrees above average just about every day.”

There will be some relief Monday, when high temperatures will be down to 90 or 91.

Heat indexes will be lower for the remainder of this week than they were last week, Magee said, due to lower dew points. She said heat advisories are issued when the heat index gets to 105 so no heat advisory is expected to be issued today.

The expected heat index is 98 on Thursday, 95 on Friday, 98 Saturday, 101 on Sunday and 91 on Monday. Magee said there may be storms Sunday and Monday.

Scott Fiedler, Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman, said the authority had record amounts of energy usage last week.

• June 13 was the second highest June power demand in TVA’s history with 31,311 megawatts.

• June 14 there were 30,072 megawatts used, which was “the ninth highest power demand for June on record and the first time we’ve had back-to-back 30,000-plus megawatt days in June since 2012,” he said.

• There were 30,784 megawatts used on June 15, “the fourth highest June power demand on record and tying a record of three consecutive 30,000-plus megawatt days set in June 2012,” Fiedler said.

• Thursday, the hottest day so far in 2022, was “a new all-time record demand for the month of June and the first time we’ve experienced two 31,000-plus megawatt days in June,” with 31,617 megawatts, Fielder said. Thursday’s record is the equivalent of “powering another 175,000 homes.”

“With the higher temperatures we will continue to see a higher demand. The record numbers we may break, that all depends on what Mother Nature brings to us in terms of temperature,” Fielder said. “This is kind of like our Super Bowl. Like athletes, our employees prepare for this all year round.”