Andrew Winetroub, Kansas university senior from Leavenworth, introduces himself to three female KU students cooling off in a small pool outside their apartment on Tennessee Street. In the pool from left are Ginny Bauer, Wichita senior, Kristen Kuebelbeck, Overland Park senior, and Christine Pringle, Wichita senior. Winetroub and his friend Bailor Hardman, a KU senior from Osborne, stopped by to visit their new neighbors Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 90s through the weekend before reaching 100 by Monday.

The temperature in Lawrence was 94 degrees and climbing at 1 p.m. Tuesday when Scott Russell and Chris Patrick prepared to play a round of golf at Orchards Golf Course, 1500 Bob Billings Parkway.

The two Windsor, Ontario, natives said they weren’t going to let a little hot weather deter them.

“In Kansas there is always a breeze,” said Russell, a Kansas University graduate student who made a name for himself throwing the javelin for the KU track and field team.

“You notice we’re not walking,” Patrick said after loading his clubs onto the back of a golf cart.

It may be awhile before Kansans see relief from the heat, 6News meteorologist Jennifer Schack said. She predicts temperatures will be close to the century mark the rest of this week. Schack said Tuesday’s high temperature reached 99 degrees after 5 p.m. She expects 100-degree temperatures Sunday and Monday.

Lawrence and central Kansas are under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Friday. That means heat indexes are expected to reach into the 105- to 110-degree range during the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

The tone for a hot week – possibly two weeks – was established Monday morning. That was when Lawrence set a record for having the highest low temperature (80 degrees) for Aug. 6, Schack said. She thinks the hot weather will continue through next week.

“It’s a summer heat pattern that is pretty typical and was just slightly delayed this year,” Schack said. “The jet stream is farther to the north and a high pressure builds over the central and southern Plains and doesn’t bring any relief.”

This kind of weather pattern means extra care should be taken to avoid heat stress, exhaustion and stroke, health experts say. People who face the highest risk of heat-related illness are infants and young children up to age 4 and adults over 65, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

“If you have a friend, relative or neighbor who doesn’t have air conditioning, now would be a good time to talk with them about getting into a cooler place,” said Dr. Howard Rodenberg, director of the KDHE Division of Health.

As of late Tuesday afternoon there had been no emergency medical calls for heat-related problems, said Joe Hoelscher, division chief with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical.

“We’ve been fortunate,” he said. “Obviously, as the heat wave continues, hopefully people will take proper precautions and stay hydrated.”

When heat-related medical calls start, oftentimes they involve people working outdoors, people involved with athletic activities and the elderly, Hoelscher said.

“As the heat wave rolls on, it can really start affecting a broader section of the population,” he said. “We’re all forced to go out and deal with it at some point.”

Pets can face as many heat-related problems as their owners. Dog owners not only should consider heat but also humidity levels before taking their pet for a walk, said Sue Nelson, clinical assistant professor for Kansas State University’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

The combination of heat and humidity drastically decreases a dog’s ability to cool down because the moisture doesn’t evaporate as fast off their tongues and paws, Nelson said.