Rising temperatures are impelling residents to stay indoors and out of the summer heat.

The city of Ames issued a press release asking residents to reduce their energy consumption. The high temperatures and the humidity are creating a high demand for electricity on the part of residents.

“When you have multiple hot days, the demand builds for electricity,” said Steve Wilson, electrical services coordinator for the city. “Although our demand goes up, we plan for it. We anticipate for it and make sure we have plenty of energy available.”

Muncipal employees expected consumers to use a record amount of energy Monday.

“The record is 126.2 megawatts,” Wilson said. “We’re estimating today could be 130 megawatts. That equals … 130 million watts of energy. That is a lot of energy.”

Wilson said the average Ames household uses about 5,000 kilowatts.

If the worst were to happen, then Ames could use its backup generators or get more electricity from the MidAmerican Energy Company.

“Ames is fortunate because we have our own generators and can bring power from other utilities,” Wilson said.

Wilson doesn’t believe that a blackout would be possible — at least not one that would be protracted.

The last year temperatures were this high in Ames was 1995. The reason for the high heat indices is the humidity in the air.

“The combination of 90s temperature and [an] upper 70s dew point makes heat index values soar to over 110 degrees, which makes the air hotter than the thermometer may suggest,” said Xiaoqing Wu, professor of meteorology. “When the air is more humid, it is more difficult to cool down from the daytime high temperature in the evening.”

High temperatures can be dangerous for people who are exposed to them, as they can induce heat stroke.

“Heat stroke is when your core temperature is rising faster than you can sweat it out,” said Mike McCartan, student supervisor of ISU’s Outdoor Recreation Program. “When you start going to stroke, your core temperature is around 104 and 105 degrees.”

McCartan said it was good to keep consuming fluids as well as salt in this kind of weather.

“When you sweat, you lose minerals,” McCartan said. “A good idea is to add a pinch of salt to water or eat a salty snack if you’re exercising in this heat.”

Mathew Huss, junior in electrical engineering, is working at the Memorial Union Market and Cafe for the summer.

“It’s nice to work here when the air conditioning is working,” Huss said. “Last summer, there were days when it wasn’t working, and all we could use to keep cool was a box fan.”

Temperatures are expected to be higher in the coming days, reaching the high 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday.