OXFORD, Miss. — Scotty Willard said he knows all about how dangerous the heat can be.
He worked on Ole Miss’s campus doing groundwork.
“Weed eating, blowing, mowing, you know, our usual thing,” he said.
So he knew how crucial it was to take care of himself and his coworkers.
“We have to use the buddy system. We each watch out for each other and make sure we get plenty of water,” explained Willard.
With a stifling heat index, people in Oxford struggled to stay cool Monday.
Some tried to make light of heavy humidity.
“I’ve got a horse I’m breaking right now and I don’t think either one of us would have lasted ten minutes in this heat!” Wes Patrick said laughing.
Willard said he’s just trying to make it through till Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to drop.
“Once you’ve been out in the heat index of over 100 and then it cools down to 90, it’s like a cold wave is coming through,” he said.