High temperatures in the area heated up business at Zesto on Wednesday afternoon.
The Mitchell ice cream shop catered to a steady flow of customers looking to use the cold treat to cool down as temperatures creeped toward triple digits.
As the high temperature hit 100 degrees Wednesday, it broke the city's streak of days below the three-digit mark.
The last 100-degree day happened on June 11. Today's forecast includes a high of 102.
And Brittany Royston, an employee at Zesto, isn't complaining.
ADVERTISEMENT
For the business, hot days can be the best for business, with people often coming in at all hours of the day for ice cream. Sometimes, though, it can be the opposite.
"It can go either way, it can be super busy or it can be dead quiet because it's too hot to be out," she said. "People decided (Wednesday) would be an ice cream day, and hopefully that's the case (Thursday)."
An excessive heat warning was implemented Wednesday morning and set to expire Friday, which is put into effect when the National Weather Service expects heat index values - or the temperature felt by the skin, rather than the actual temperature, Meteorologist Mike Fuhs said. On Wednesday, the heat index in Mitchell topped out at 108 degrees and 109 in Chamberlain. The high actual temperature Wednesday in Winner was 105 degrees with other area towns staying in the mid- to upper-90s, Fuhs said.
Fuhs said the temperatures blanketing the region are uncommon for mid-July. He said, on average, July temperatures average about 87 degrees, and expects Mitchell to cool down closer to that average by the weekend.
Aside from drinking plenty of water, Fuhs said the color of a person's clothes can alter how they're affected by the heat.
"If you have to be outdoors, working, we recommend wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothes," Fuhs said. "The reason for that is light colored shirts reflect heat better as opposed to a black T-shirt, which is going to absorb heat."
