UPDATE: Hot, Humid Weather Setting Records in Twin Cities, Posing Danger

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday

The dewpoint is already 82 degrees and the Heat Index is 105 degrees. The Heat Index could reach 112. Wednesday's Heat Index should hit 110 degrees, as well, according to the National Weather Service.

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Thanks to freakishly hot and humid airmass resembling ones you'd encounter if visiting a rain forest, nearly the entire state is shrouded in an Excessive Heat Warning per the National Weather Service.

But what you feel outside is more than hot and sticky, it's setting records and posing health risks.

Sunday night, at 8:53 p.m., the dewpoint reached 81 degrees, according to the NWS—matching an all time record for the Twin Cities. No, it wasn't just a daily record, the 81 degree dewpoint—a figure which measures the amount of water or humidity in the air—matched an all time record felt just a handful of times in recorded history.

It was so humid and warm, the heat index at 2 a.m. Monday was 102 degrees—hardly sleeping weather.

And while it's oppressive here in Northfield and the Twin Cities, it's actually worse elsewhere.

According to Paul Douglas' blog at the Star Tribune, on Sunday Madison, WI, recorded an 86-degree dewpoint to go with a mid-90s temperature that had the heat index at 119 degrees.

And unfortunately for air conditioners around the state, the heat doesn't let up until Thursday, and even then, it's still going to be in the 90s according to the NWS.

“Whenever you have (humidity) in low to mid 70s combined with temperatures in the 90s it is very, very uncomfortable,” said Meteorologist Jim Richardson with the NWS. “High humidity like that is going to not allow the body to cool itself as well because the evaporation of sweat doesn’t happen as readily.”

The sizzling heat is not just an inconvenience. It’s a health hazard. According to the NWS, heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States. Excessive heat claims an average of 162 lives per year—more than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.

A prolonged and severe heat wave can spell disaster: In the famous heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died. More recently, a hot spell in August 2003 claimed an estimated 50,000 lives in Europe.

“That’s kind of what is shaping up later this Saturday and into Wednesday. We’ll have temperatures into the mid-90s and high humidity. Whenever you have (humidity) in low to mid 70s combined with temperatures in the 90s it is very, very uncomfortable,” said Meteorologist Jim Richardson. “High humidity like that is going to not allow the body to cool itself as well because the evaporation of sweat doesn’t happen as readily.”

Here are some tips to beat the heat:

• Slow down. Go easy on strenuous exercise or outdoor household work until coolest time of the day. Children, the elderly and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest possible place.

• Dress down in lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.

• Eat light. Heavy foods, like meat and other proteins, increase metabolic heat production also contribute to water loss.

• Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine.

• Beware of your car, which could become a deathtrap. Do not leave children or pets unattended in a car during a heat spell.

• To the mall. Try to stay in an air-conditioned place. If you don’t have air conditioning at home go to a library, store or other location with air conditioning for part of the day.

• Do not take salt tablets unless your physician recommends it.

• Be on the lookout for symptoms of a heat disorder, especially in children, the sick and the elderly—all of whom are especially vulnerable to high temperatures. Generally, the body sheds heat by circulatory changes and sweating. The body’s cooling system can become overtaxed in extreme heat. Excessive sweating can cause a dangerous chemical (salt) imbalance in the body. This generally occurs when the individual has stayed out in the heat too long or exercised too much for his or her age and physical condition.