This just in: It's hot!

So, in case you haven't noticed, it's hot. Exactly how hot? It was 102 yesterday afternoon, tying the record set in 1962. On Friday, the heat index reached as high as 111 in some parts of town. Highs have been over 95 since last Monday, and it looks like they'll continue that way until the end of this week. Good lord. Looks like it's time to invest in a giant bag of ice and a box fan — or maybe reserve some time to lay down on the Galleria's ice rink.

The persistent, soul-crushing heat led the city to activate its emergency heat plan Sunday, which involved opening "cooling centers" at five libraries across town. According to KHOU, the plan goes into effect when the heat index hits 108 — which means it could happen again today. The forecast calls for an afternoon high of 101 today, with a heat index somewhere between 109 and 114; tomorrow, things will cool down a bit, with a high of 99 and a heat index around 107. Given all that, it's probably a good idea to avoid spending time outside if you can. If you have to be outside, remember to all the things you can do to keep from getting heat exhaustion: drink a lot of water, wear light-colored, lightweight clothes and "never go out into the sun suddenly from a cool or air-conditioned room or do the opposite." Uh ... yeah, good luck with that.

As a side note, here's something we can't remember hearing about before: The heat was blamed for buckling pavement along the East Loop on Friday, a problem that led to some emergency repairs on the freeway over the weekend. The issue wasn't really just the heat: All the rain we had earlier in the summer apparently undermined the pavement, and then the heat caused the concrete to buckle. We imagine the freeways in hell are always a mess.

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Photo: flickr user marlana