Hunter Wilson/Daily NewsLondon Lightning (left), 6, of Bowling Green, plays with her cousin, Makenzi Shealey, 5, of Nashville, at Circus Square Park on Tuesday. An excessive heat warning remains in effect for the area until 8 p.m. today. High temperatures could reach triple digits, with heat index values as high as 109.

As dangerously hot temperatures linger over much of the country today, an excessive heat warning is in effect for southcentral Kentucky and residents are urged to take precautions against heat-related illness.

State transportation officials, the National Weather Service and local emergency officials have issued a heat advisory and are asking the public to check on elderly residents who might not be using air conditioning, or those who might not be aware of the dangers of the intense heat wave, according to Beau Dodson, meteorology adviser for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

“This is a dangerous heat wave,” Dodson said in an advisory issued this morning.

Heat is the top weather-related cause of fatalities in the United States each year, causing more deaths than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined, according to the NWS.

Elderly residents and shut-ins might not always be aware that they could be overheating, according to Dodson.

“Don’t assume that someone is OK,” he said. “If someone you know comes to mind that you might be concerned about in this heat, then that is good enough reason to check on them.”

Extreme heat is expected to continue through Thursday, with slightly lower temperatures Friday into Saturday. Higher temperatures are forecast to return Sunday and continue into next week, according to the NWS.

Kentucky is experiencing one of the hottest summers in almost 60 years, and excessively high temperatures are expected through August and possibly well into September, according to the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University.

No records have been broken – yet – but that could change as the heat continues, said state climatologist Stuart Foster, director of the Kentucky Mesonet and Climate Center.

As dangerous heat continues over much of the country today, the NWS is predicting high temperatures reaching 95 to 100 degrees this afternoon for Warren County, with a heat index in the 102- to 109-degree range.

In western Kentucky on Tuesday, Foster said the climate center recorded temperatures higher than 100 degrees in Madisonville and Benton, while the heat index in Hickman reached 116 degrees.

Heat index readings Tuesday in the region and surrounding areas reached between 110 and 125-plus degrees, with unconfirmed reports of heat index values of 130 degrees, according to Dodson.

High pressure dominating the eastern U.S. and a strong flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico are making conditions uncomfortable and even dangerous for many people across the state, Foster said, while the dew point has also been unusually high, keeping temperatures hot at night.

Dew points in the low 70s are typical for this region during the summer, but readings in the mid-70s have been typical this year. A dew point of 80 degrees was recorded in Hickman.

“That is almost unheard of,” Foster said.

While no record highs or days over 100 degrees have been recorded by WKU climatologists, June and July produced the most afternoon highs at or above 90 degrees since 1952, according to climate center professor Greg Goodrich in information released by the university.

The hottest day on record for Bowling Green was July 28, 1930, when the temperature reached 113 degrees, according to Foster. That summer, he said, brought 15 days of temperatures of 100 degrees or more.

“It’s certainly hot right now, but we’ve seen weather this hot or hotter,” Foster said.

Just three years ago, in August 2007, the climate center recorded the hottest average summer temperature here of 85.6 degrees.

In 2007, nine days of temperatures of more than 100 degrees were recorded at the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport, with a high temperature of 106 on Aug. 16, Foster added.

The trend appears to be related to the developing La Nina in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to climatologists.

Historically, some of the warmest summers in the mid-South have occurred when La Nina is developing, according to Goodrich.

Heat wave safety rules and additional information from the NWS can be found at www.crh.noaa.gov.

Area residents are also advised to remain aware of the safety of outdoor pets. Changing their water bowls several times a day and making sure they have shade is important, according to Dodson, who said there have been reports of dogs that have died in the heat.