Another day of sweltering heat and humidity, and the threat of evening thunderstorms Tuesday prompted several outdoor events in Bangor to either be moved inside or be postponed.
The Bangor Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon that it would postpone National Night Out, an annual nationally coordinated event to promote public safety, to next month because of the dangerously hot weather and the chance of a storm. The event was set to take place from 5 to 7 p.m. in Second Street Park, and a new date has yet to be picked although it will like be in September, Sgt. Wade Betters said.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: We are sorry to tell you we must postpone the event @ Second Street Park until a date in September…heat index and the potential for a storm this evening forced us to make this decision…we will see you in a month or so! TY#heybangor pic.twitter.com/NEEo2NCh8v
— Bangor Police (@BANGORPOLICE) August 7, 2018
The potential storm also prompted the Bangor Band to move its weekly performance on the waterfront inside, to Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School, according to a tweet. The community band plays at 7 p.m. every Tuesday, although this week’s performance will moved to 6:45 p.m., the band tweeted.
Due to the weather calling for severe thunder storms this evening, the Bangor Band will NOT play at the Waterfront. Instead, please join us for tonight’s concert at Bangor High School’s Peakes Auditorium. We will start at 6:45. See you there!
— Bangor Band (@BangorBand) August 7, 2018
A thunderstorm was moving east toward the Bangor area, threatening winds up over to 30 mph and large pellets of hail, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm was predicted to roll into the Queen City sometime this evening, capping off a muggy day where high temperatures hovered in the low-90s but felt closer to 100 degrees, according to the weather service.
The combined heat and humidity led the NWS to issue a heat advisory for the second day in a row, urging people in coastal and interior Maine to drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity or long periods of time outside.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection echoed a similar warning in an air quality alert that covers the coastline, which will stay in effect until 11 p.m. Elevated ozone levels will impair breathing, the DEP wrote, especially for the elderly, children and people with respiratory or heart problems.
Many MaineDOT employees and our contractors are outside working in this heat. We’ve provided this info to them but we know you can use it too! pic.twitter.com/vrpgDXWD2o
— MaineDOT (@MaineDOT1) August 7, 2018
Some Maine cities are offering relief from the oppressive air in public cooling stations. In Bangor, residents can find reprieve at the city’s Park and Recreation building at 647 Main St. until to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The rest of the week is expected to stay hot in Bangor, although the worst may be over.
On Wednesday, the high temperature is predicted to reach 85 degrees, but will feel like 90. There is a chance that more stormy weather will blow through in the afternoon, according to the forecast.
Thursday and Friday in Bangor are expected to be in the 80s, with the last of the rain showers expected to have cleared into sunshine by Friday morning.
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