msnbc.com news services
updated July 18, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Upper Midwest was feeling some unaccustomed heat on Monday, but folks in Oklahoma were having it even worse: roads buckled, damaging cars, while poultry farmers were taking precautions like fans and watered rooftops to protect flocks.
In Oklahoma City, where a 28th day of triple-digit heat is expected, two lanes of a major interstate in downtown were closed Monday morning after buckling on a bridge caused steel expansion joints to rise, damaging cars as they passed over.
The city, which is forecast to reach 103 degrees on Monday, is on pace to break its record for days at 100 or above — 50 set in 1980 — with triple-digit heat possible through September.
It's even worse in western Oklahoma, where temperatures at 110 or above have been common in recent weeks. In Enid, asphalt at a major intersection along U.S. Highway 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat.
Last week, a buckled road near Enid caused a motorcyclist to go airborne and then tumble for hundreds of feet. The driver, who was wearing kevlar-laced gear, was airlifted to a hospital where he was being treated for injuries that included broken bones and an injured back... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Mon, July 18, 2011
by John Cox