ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A man in his 50s became the first person to die due to heat-related illnesses this year in St. Louis County, officials said.
The man died on June 24, when the temperature hit a high of 98 degrees. He lived in West County.
Last year, 34 Missourians died of heat-related illnesses, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
St. Louis was hit with near-record high temperatures earlier than usual this year, forecasters said. The unusually hot weather was caused by a “heat dome” — high pressure in the atmosphere that pushes warm air in a downward spiral, trapping it near the ground, leading to a feedback loop of fewer clouds and more sun.
The St. Louis County Department of Public Health recommends taking precautions, including taking regular breaks in the shade and drinking cool, nonalcoholic beverages when temperatures rise above 95 degrees.
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They also urge residents to consider a pet’s safety as temperatures rise.
The highest temperature ever recorded on June 24 in St. Louis — 102 degrees — was in 1988.
On June 25, the temperature reached 103 degrees, one of only seven times since 1938 the temperature has hit 103 or higher before the start of July.
Meteorologist Sean Sublette explains that even on an 80-degree day, the inside of a car reaches 120 degrees in less than an hour.