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• The capital city of Pierre hit 110 degrees late Wednesday afternoon, far above its normal high of 85 and its previous record of 104 for the date set in 1983. It was about 10 degrees hotter in Pierre than Phoenix on Wednesday.
• Eureka Superintendent Bo Beck said his district in north-central South Dakota joined others in dismissing students a few hours early because their classrooms lack air conditioning.
• "It's tough to learn in an environment when a room is 100 degrees," Beck said.
• Eureka and other rural districts have called off classes due to late-summer heat in past years, but school closures are more common in winter months when snow, frigid temperatures and winds make travel unsafe, Beck said.
• Scott Doering, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, said some places in central South Dakota would break or come close to breaking records before temperatures start to drop to the 80s and lower 90s Thursday.
• Though temperatures topping 100 sometimes persist in South Dakota even into September, Doering said this summer is sure to rank among the state's five hottest of all time.
• Sina Matthes, a 38-year-old Phoenix resident and city employee, said she was surprised to hear South Dakotans were battling Phoenix-like weather, but she added that it's all about perspective.
• "It's not even 100 degrees here today, so for us it's actually nice. I should probably bring a sweater," Matthes said.
• She said South Dakotans have her sympathy, but that "a few days isn't so bad."
• "When it's consistently 110 and the sidewalk is extremely hot and you see people who try to fry eggs on the sidewalk, that's when you know it's really hot," Mattes said.
• Her tips for beating the hit? Stay inside, turn on the fan and enjoy a big cold (Continued on page 17)
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