UPDATED: It's 100 Degrees Once Again as Excessive Heat Warning Continues

Updated 1:15 p.m. Thursday: The air temperature in Milwaukee has reached 100 for the second consecutive day, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS's current conditions website has Milwaukee at 100, Racine at 101 and Kenosha at 102 at 1 p.m. Heat indexes — a factor of humidity and other components to produce a "feels like" reading — are:

• Milwaukee: 104
• Racine: 104
• Waukesha: 99
• Sheboygan: 104

An excessive heat warning had been in effect to the west of our area, but that warning has been extended to nearly all of southern Wisconsin, including Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha and Ozaukee counties until 10 p.m. Friday. The rest of the state remains under a heat advisory, with lower temps and heat indices expected.

Heat indices are similar to wind chill affects in reverse, and will be 100-105 degrees on Thursday, and up to 110 degrees on Thursday. It's important to respect the heat and stay hydrated with water and other drinks to maintain your electrolyte balance.

In fact, the NWS reports that heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year. In fact, on average, excessive heat claims more lives each year than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.

Keep your elderly neighbors in mind, as they also fall into a higher risk category for handling the heat, along with small children. And for heaven's sake ignore the sad looks of your pets as you head to the car - they may want to come with you, but a cool house is a kinder place for them to stay.

Additional heat related information:

• Heat Index Information
• Heat Hazards
• How Fast Can the Sun Heat A Car?
• Heat Safety
• Heat Disorder Symptoms