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.

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.

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.

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.

With temperatures on the rise, electric utilities in the region are cranking up programs to induce customers to curb their air-conditioner use during peak summer days. Peco Energy Co., the Philadelphia utility, is heavily promoting its Smart A/C Saver program, which pays residential customers as much as $120 a year to allow the utility to cycle their central air-conditioning units off during periods of peak demand. About 80,000 customers have volunteered to allow Peco to install a radio-controlled switch on their outdoor condenser units.

BIG snowstorm coming? Blame Ken Reeves. Heat wave scorching the city? Blame Ken Reeves. Hurricane sweeping up the coast? Ditto. OK, Ken didn't actually generate these weather conditions, but you've heard the old saying: blame the messenger. Ken Reeves was the messenger. As a meteorologist for AccuWeather for 29 years, Ken was the guy reporters called not only for what was coming, but for what had been and what it all meant. In the midst of a heat wave in 1997, Ken predicted, "There is no sign the heat is going to break real soon.

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.

Today is likely to top 90 for the fifth day in a row, but a stretch of stormy weather is expected to end the heat wave. Wednesday's forecast high in Philadelphia is 78 - the lowest maximum seen since a 77 on June 14. Every day in July topped 85, as 90 was reached or exceeded a record-tying 21 times. Today, the afternoon should be sunny, but showers could show up this evening, with thunderstorms more of a threat west of the city, especially in central Pennsylvania. Wednesday could get wet in Philadelphia, with more than a half-inch of rain from showers and thunderstorms that are likely during the day and still possible in the evening.

The hottest month ever in Philadelphia is finally over, but August begins with more summer swelter, and an orange alert for ozone in the Philadelphia area, South Jersey and Delaware. Thunderstorms could also be rearing their ugly heads several times from this afternoon to Wednesday night, before skies stay clear for a couple of days. Today's high could hit the mid 90s, the fourth day of the year's sixth heat wave, before a so-called cold front comes through, potentially bringing thunderstorms by mid-afternoon, possibly with heavy rain.

A heat-related death in Chester has brought the regional toll to at least 29 for the season. The body of Janie Johnson, 76, was found Thursday at her home in the 100 block of Worrell Street, according to the Delaware County medical examiner. Like most of the other victims, she had a background heart condition. At least 25 heat-related deaths have been reported in Philadelphia, two in Montgomery County, and one in Burlington County, most resulting from last week's intense heat wave. The sixth heat wave of the year began Friday, and while it won't rival its predecessor for severity, the temperature is forecast to hit 90 or better for at least seven more days - with at least seven more steamy nights.

What was as a comfortable summer morning is giving way to what is expected to be the start of the sixth heat wave of the season. But, except for Friday and Saturday, the latest forecast indicates that this one won't be as scorching as the killer 8-day hot spell that ended Monday. A heat wave is three days or more of highs 90 and above. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 90 today with a chance of thunderstorms. It was 87 at 1 p.m., up from 75 at sunrise.

What is almost certain to become the warmest July on record in Philadelphia already has been blamed for at least 25 deaths in the region, including six announced Wednesday. With the sixth heat wave due to start Thursday, this summer has become the deadliest hot-weather season in Philadelphia since 2008, when the death toll reached 26. And it has the potential to become the deadliest since 2002, when 40 heat-related fatalities were tallied. The National Weather Service has issued an "excessive heat watch" for Friday and Saturday, with heat-index numbers heading back toward triple digits.

The death toll from this summer's heat in the Philadelphia area has jumped to at least 21. Besides seven people already reported dead in Philadelphia from the latest heat wave, eight more deaths Saturday and Sunday have been classified as heat-related, bringing the weekend total to 15, Jeff Moran, spokesman for the city's Department of Public Health, said Tuesday. At least three deaths occurred in neighboring counties as a result of the area's fifth heat wave of the season. With those three and the three heat fatalities reported earlier this summer in Philadelphia, the region's total now stands at 21. - Anthony R. Wood

You'll feel the difference when you step outside this morning: low humidity, temperatures in the low 70s. So enjoy the break - while it lasts. The recent heat wave has ended, but a new one is forming as soon as tomorrow. Today, though, will be a gorgeous summer day of the type that has been all too rare this year so far. Highs will be in the upper 80s, but the stickiness is gone. And - get this - lows will actually dip into the 60s tonight. It might be a good day to give the air conditioner a break.