FORT WAYNE – If you happened to find yourself thinking, “It’s never been this hot over Memorial Day weekend,” simply put: You were right.
The temperature in Fort Wayne climbed to 96 degrees Sunday, breaking the record for the highest recorded May temperature. The previous record was set on May 27, 1911, when temperatures climbed to 95 degrees.
While many used the warm weather as an excuse to take walks, play golf or work in the garden, others did all they could to seek refuge from the high temperatures.
Many of those looking to cool off found their way to Northside Pool, which attracted 500 people by 1:30 p.m., putting the pool over capacity. By 3 p.m., at least two dozen people were waiting to get in.
Eleven-year-old Julius Dinwiddie, who arrived with two friends, was unhappy to be one of those forced to wait.
“When we got here and they told me it was full, I thought ‘Oh my God, now we’re going to have to sit here and wait in this hot sun,’ ” he said. “As soon as I get in, I’m jumping in.”
Courtney Obergfell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the usual high for Sunday is 75 degrees. At no point, even in the summer, she said, is it normal for Fort Wayne to see temperatures in the high 90s.
“The hottest peak around here is the beginning of July, and that’s usually around 85 degrees,” she said. “We’re 10 degrees above normal high temperatures even for July.”
Temperatures are expected to remain high today, with the National Weather Service predicting a high of 94 degrees. If the temperature climbs to 95 degrees, it will set a record high for the day. “We’re going to be close,” Obergfell said.
Temperatures are expected to fall Tuesday, after a cool front comes in tonight. Obergfell said the weather service isn’t predicting that the rest of the summer will be hotter than usual, unless rain continues to stay away.
Sarah Vanryn, who sat under a large umbrella at the Northside Pool on Sunday while her two young children played in the water, said she couldn’t wait until the temperatures got back to normal.
“If I wasn’t here, I’d have to lock myself inside to hide from the heat,” she said. “ … I don’t like it at all.”
