Heat Wave

The Torrid Zone conditions began to relent yesterday, but even as they did, six more heat-related deaths were confirmed in Philadelphia, bringing the region's toll to at least 30. In addition, the deaths of two elderly people in Delaware County and that of a 49-year-old man in Gloucester County may have been heat-related, officials said. Downpours Monday night and early yesterday marked a last stand for the stubborn and persistent mass of hot air blamed for more than 655 deaths across the country since last week.

THERE WAS one thing on David Powell's mind yesterday when he set out to keep his mind off the triple-digit heat wave: pool. Surprisingly, it wasn't the thought of a water-filled pool that consumed the 64-year-old Germantown native. "Escaping [the heat] is one of the reasons I'm here. That, and I'm also working on my game," Powell said after a win on the pool table at the air-conditioned West Oak Lane Senior Center. Like Powell, residents across the city scrambled to find ways to beat the heat as city officials took measures to protect the elderly against a record-breaking and dangerous 102 degrees.

Friday was hot. Saturday will be different. It'll be hotter. The forecast high of 102 would make it the hottest July 15 on record, and Philadelphia health officials said it could be the most dangerous day of the summer. The city issued another health warning for Saturday, meaning that the weather could contribute to at least 15 deaths. No weather-related deaths were reported Friday, but it often is several days before heat-wave deaths are reported. In many suburban communities, a concern of another sort was developing.

Yesterday was hot. Today will be different. It'll be hotter. The forecast high of 102 would make it the hottest July 15 on record, and Philadelphia health officials said it could be the most dangerous day of the summer. The city issued another health warning for today, meaning that the weather could contribute to at least 15 deaths. No weather-related deaths were reported yesterday, but it often is several days before heat-wave deaths are reported, after elderly shut-ins and other victims are discovered.

With the high projected to hit 91 this afternoon, the Philadelphia area could find itself two-thirds of a way to the first heat wave of the season. The forecasted high of 90 Wednesday would seal the deal. But, the National Weather Service says, it will cool off Thursday with a high of 84 projected. There is no rain in the forecast until Wednesday afternoon, when there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Officials in the meantime have issued an air quality alert for air pollution concentrations that could be unhealthy for children, asthma sufferers, those with heart or other lung diseases and the elderly.

"Don't sweat it" will be tough advice to follow for the next couple of days. Breathing could also be an issue for sensitive groups, such as the elderly and those with asthma or other respiratory conditions. A code orange alert, mostly for ozone, is in effect today for the entire region - from Harrisburg to lower Delaware to New York City. The highs of the current heat wave - at least three days hitting 90 or more - keep creeping upward, and the humidity is up as well. The dewpoint in the city was up to 71 this morning - a half-dozen points above where folks feel "sticky.

Forecasts predicting a string of days with temperatures in the 90s, along with growing humidity, have prompted the city Health Department to declare an "elderly health watch. " Twenty-five people, all elderly, ill and living alone except for two men who resided in a boarding home, died of heat-related causes in last month's nine-day heat wave. "We can't possibly guarantee that (heat-related) deaths won't occur," said Dr. Robert K. Ross, deputy health commissioner. "But through some simple measures, we think we can prevent a good many of them.

When the Miami Heat dialed Ed Pinckney's number, the onetime Villanova hero saw it as "a chance to get back in the mix. " "I haven't been in the playoffs for a few years [1991-92, with the Boston Celtics], and that was something I missed," Pinckney said after signing a one-year contract as a free agent for slightly more than the NBA veterans-minimum of $247,500. Pinckney missed all but seven games of the Celtics' '92-93 season with an injury, then spent the next three seasons locked in the lottery with the Celtics, Milwaukee, Toronto and the 76ers.

A while back, somebody took a look at actual medical statistics and questioned the breast cancer "epidemic" that had been trumpeted nationwide. It was discovered no such thing existed. Actual incidence of the disease had remained stable. Reporting and early diagnosis had generated the numbers that had been used to create the non- existent "epidemic. " Promoters of the "epidemic" were unruffled. They said breast cancer is an important problem, and they had lied to draw attention to it. Now we find the Philadelphia health commissioner admitting that he cooked the books on heat deaths because the greater public good is served by drawing attention to the fact that heat can be bad for you. There's one problem here.

LEBRON JAMES scored 33 points, Chris Bosh added 30 and the Miami Heat used a historic third-quarter turnaround to erase a big deficit and beat visiting San Antonio last night, 120-98. Miami outscored San Antonio 39-12 in the third quarter, the second-largest differential for any quarter in Heat history, and the second-worst differential for a period in Spurs history. The Heat trailed 52-35 late in the second quarter. Miami outscored San Antonio after halftime, 71-35. Mike Miller made his season debut and shot 6-for-6 on three-pointers.

August begins with another round of July-like weather, with thunderstorms expected today, followed by a possible heat wave - and more thunderstorms. "Heat index values, particularly in urban areas, could approach 100 degrees Friday through Sunday," according to the National Weather Service. Today, showers and thunderstorms could develop by midday, with "gusty winds and heavy downpours" possible. The threat could continue through the afternoon rush hour, but should diminish by nightfall.

With yet another hot spell under way, the region's heat-related summer death toll has climbed to nine. The city Health Department said Thursday that heat contributed to the deaths of five Philadelphians during the 12-day heat wave, one of the longest on record, that broke earlier this week. The most recently reported deaths were those of an 80-year-old woman in the Nicetown-Tioga section of the city, and a 78-year-old woman in Southwest Philadelphia. Both had background heart conditions.

With yet another heat wave under way, the region's heat-related death toll has climbed to nine. Heat has been blamed for the deaths of five Philadelphians during the hot spell that ended on Tuesday - and we use the term "ended" with reservations - the city Health Department spokesman Jeff Moran said this afternoon. The most recently reported deaths were those of an 80 year old woman in the Nicetown-Tioga section of the city, and a 78-year-old in Southwest Philadelphia. Both had background heart conditions.

It was already 89 degrees at 10 a.m. Saturday when block captain Alice Wright began knocking on doors in the 3900 block of Pennsgrove Street. The temperature in Philadelphia would eventually climb an additional 12 degrees, to 101. The retired day-care teacher was checking on the people she calls "my seniors," some of whom are the same age as the 70-year-old Wright. "Geneva!" Wright yelled, bending down to call her neighbor through an open mail slot. "She's in there. She's just hard of hearing.

Americans dipped into the water, went to the movies, and rode the subway just to be in air-conditioning Saturday for relief from unrelenting heat that has killed 30 people across half the country. The heat sent temperatures soaring over 100 degrees in several cities, including a record 105 in Washington, St. Louis (106), and Indianapolis (104), buckled highways, and derailed a Washington-area train even as another round of summer storms threatened. If people ventured outside to do anything, they did it early.

The hot spell that has been slow-cooking the region and much of the nation is about to achieve a rarefied position in local weather lore. By the time things finally cool down Monday, this will have become one of Philadelphia's longest heat waves since the government began keeping score in 1874 - exceptional even given the recent run of hot summers. The temperature hit 98 Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport, but before most people got out of bed, the city already had tied a record for overnight warmth, with a "low" of 81. On Saturday, the temperature could reach a feverish 103. So far, heat has been blamed for contributing to at least five deaths in the region since late May. No new deaths were reported Thursday, but health officials remain concerned about the effects of the tenacious heat on the elderly and people with health problems.

The hot spell that has been slow-cooking the region, and much of the nation, is heading for a rarefied position in local weather lore. By the time things finally cool down Monday, this will have become one of Philadelphia's longest heat waves since the government began keeping score in 1874 - exceptional even given the recent run of hot summers. The temperature hit 98 this afternoon at Philadelphia International Airport, but before most people got out of bed, the city already had tied a record for overnight warmth, with a "low" of 81. On Saturday, the temperature could reach a feverish 102. So far, heat has been blamed for contributing to at least five deaths in the region since late May. No new deaths were reported today, but health officials remain concerned about the effects of the tenacious heat on the elderly and people with health problems.

The brutal heat wave that's clung to the Philadelphia region for more than a week is expected to keep the area steaming through the weekend, possibly setting a record on Saturday. Before 10 a.m., today became the eighth straight day to reach 90 degrees. By noon, the temperature was already 94, with high humidity. Friday looks to be more of the same. Saturday stands the best chance of pushing the thermometer into triple digits with an expected high of 101. That would the hottest day since this month a year ago, when July 23 hit 101, the day after a high of 103. Saturday could even challenge the July 7 record of 103, set two years ago, said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

Unwelcome thunderstorms Wednesday pose a threat to Welcome America and other area Fourth of July celebrations. Temperatures should stay in the 90s through the weekend, with humidity building today and Tuesday, setting the stage for possible showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday afternoon and evening, the odds are 20 to 30 percent for the Philadelphia area. Wednesday afternoon, they rise to 40 percent, with a 20 percent chance that evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Good time to start a week at the Shore. Today could reach the mid 90s in the Philadelphia area, with the upper 90s expected Friday through Sunday. An excessive heat warning has been issued for those three days, blanketing the city and nine nearby counties: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks in Pennsylvania, Gloucester, Camden, western Burlington and Mercer in New Jersey, and New Castle County in Delaware, according to the National Weather Service. Today was excluded because the humidity won't be bad. The Shore won't escape entirely, hitting the 90s Friday and Saturday in Ocean City and Atlantic City, but those popular destinations should top out in the 80s today and Sunday.