Dangerously High Heat Levels Bring Problems To Tulsa

It may still officially be spring on the calendar, but outside, it feels a lot like the dead of summer.

High dew points mixed with hot temperatures mean the Tulsa metro is in an excessive heat warning.

"You can definitely tell the difference between hot and dry and hot and humid," said Meteorologist Stephen Nehrenz, News on 6 Meteorologist.

Nehrenz says the wet spring is fueling the high humidity and in turn, the dangerous heat index. The conditions are keeping local HVAC technicians busy.

"We're running 24/7 just trying to keep up," said a technician with Air Assurance, a company based in Green Country.

Air Assurance says this is one of their busiest times of the year, fixing, maintaining, and replacing AC units. They say replacing your filter, clearing your drain line, and removing debris can prevent a lot of issues.

"If you have bushes and stuff around a unit, make sure that is kind of cleared back," he said.

 The heat also means more people are using electricity.

"During the summer, the demand for electricity always rises,” said Wayne Greene, spokesman for PSO

Greene says the company monitors load when the temperatures increase, but the system generally handles the stresses of heat well. If an outage does occur though for any reason, Greene says it's crucial they get the power back on quickly.

"Power outages are important all the time,” said Greene. “But in the summer they have a particular urgency because people have lost their electricity and therefore their air conditioning."