DATE: Saturday, August 16, 1997             TAG: 9708160281

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   70 lines

WEEKEND WILL BE HARD TO WEATHER

The three H's are here - at least through the weekend.

Hazy. Hot. Humid.

And, for some, Hampton Roads will feel like another place that begins with an H.

``Being outside today was knowing what hell would be like,'' said Terry Bourn, a delivery driver for Norfolk Florist and Gifts. ``At one point I walked inside and proclaimed: `I'm soaked all over.' ''

Victor Hernandez, 27, of Virginia Beach spent Friday landscaping. ``Sticky and uncomfortable. That's how it feels,'' he said. ``Dust and dirt just sticks. You end up with a coating of mud on you.''

Today, Sunday and probably Monday will be just the same, with the heat index - the effects of heat and humidity together - expected to top 105.

``The combination of a hot and humid air mass with a lack of surface moisture will allow temperatures to soar well into the 90s each afternoon'' this weekend, the National Weather Service said. ``Some areas may reach the century mark. Heat index values will range from 100 to 105 both Saturday and Sunday.''

So much for a cold front that, a few fays ago, had been expected to bring relief. Instead, the frontal line stalled over Virginia and has since retreated northward as awarm front.

Today's forecast calls for hazy sunshine, with hot and humid conditions. The high will be in the mid- to upper 90s. Southwest winds of 10 to 15 mph, becoming westerly later in the day, will offer only minimal relief.

Tonight should be fair, but warm and muggy, with the overnight low only dipping to around 80. Southwest winds will continue at 10 mph.

For Sunday, the baking continues with hazy sunshine and hot and humid conditions. The high will again be in the mid- to upper 90s.

The outlook for Monday is much the same.

The high temperature Friday only hit 86 at the National Weather Service office at Norfolk International Airport. That's just a lone degree above normal for this time of year. But, as the phrase goes, it wasn't the heat - it was the humidity.

At 5 p.m., it was 93 in Newport News, but combined with a relative humidity of 56 percent, it felt like it was 105. At the Norfolk Naval Air Station, a temperature of 88 blended with 72 percent humidity felt like 101.

And in Petersburg, readings of 95 and 60 percent topped out at 113.

Even portions of the Outer Banks reached the lower 90s - the third day in a row that's happened in Manteo.

A prolonged heat wave could prove dangerous for some people.

The elderly and infirm who live without air conditioning are particularly susceptible to being overwhelmed by excessive heat and should consider moving to air-conditioned locations.

All residents should heed the following advice from the National Weather Service to beat the heat this weekend:

Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, since it reflects heat and sunlight and helps your body stay cooler. Wear a hat.

Drink plenty of liquids, preferably water.

Try to get out of the sun and heat for a few hours each day and into an air-conditioned location.

Strenuous activity or exercise should only be done very early in the morning.

Do not leave pets or small children in unoccupied vehicles. Temperatures can rise to life-threatening levels in minutes, causing heat stroke and even death. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

LAWERENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Carlos Vela, 8, gets a cool-down splash from his sister Anna, 12, at

the YMCA in Chesapeake. Friday was miserably hot and humid, with

triple-digit heat indexes all over Hampton Roads, and there's no

relief in sight through Sunday. Monday may be a meltdown, too.

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