The heat wave that prompted warnings of heat indexes as high as 110 degrees may subside by the start of the Otoe County Fair on Sunday.
A temperature of 94 degrees at 4 p.m. on Tuesday with relative humidity of 58 degrees translates into a heat index of 107 degrees.
Wednesday and Thursday are forecast to be even hotter, with a high of 97 degrees.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for eastern Nebraska and placed a heat advisory over western counties.
The Otoe County Fair is forecast to begin under cooler conditions, however.
A high of 84 degrees is forecast for Saturday, Aug. 14, for the fair’s entry day. Livestock shows begin on Sunday, Aug. 15, when a high temperature of 82 degrees is forecast.
The heat wave has not set a new peak electrical demand in Nebraska City, said Dan Patton of the electrical plant.
Nebraska City’s high electrical usage on Tuesday was just over 36 megawatts in an hour, which is below the peak usage of 38 megawatts set in 2007.
Patton said the peak usage was most likely set when American Meter was running three shifts.
“We will not hit a new peak today,” he said.
Nebraska City set a peak record in 2003 and then set a new record of 36,284 kilowatts in 2005. The highs are compared to 18 kilowatts recorded during a typical day in January.
On a Sunday, when industry is not running and the weather is so nice that people are neither heating or cooling their houses, electrical demand can fall as low as 13,000 kilowatts.
