JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – With temperatures topping 90 degrees Thursday and the Fourth of July weekend expected to push into the mid-90s, Jacksonville residents are looking for ways to stay cool and keep kids entertained.
Some parents are turning to local splash pads to beat the heat. Jacksonville resident Summer Fredrick said she heard about the spot from others in the area.
“Some people who have been stationed here have told me about the place, so I decided to come out and give it a shot,” Fredrick said.
Tiffany Edwards, a chaperone with Excel Camp, said the group typically keeps kids indoors during extreme heat — but made an exception Thursday.
“Before the summer starts, we go through and do field trips each week so they’re not stuck in a building — we go to the splash pad, the park, and we went to the marine museum last week,” Edwards said.
Others are turning to cold snacks to cope with the heat. Clint Hatcher, owner of Pelican’s SnoBalls, said the combination of high temperatures and the holiday weekend is expected to boost business.
“Obviously, the rain, the cloudy days, and the cold are our enemies. But with the heat and the holiday weekend, we expect business to increase,” Hatcher said.
Some areas in the region are expected to break Fourth of July heat records, according to the First Alert Weather Team. The heat index this weekend is forecast to exceed 100 degrees.
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