AVON LAKE, Ohio — The extreme heatwave that has swept across Northeast Ohio has canceled classes for multiple school districts and is leaving rough conditions for those outside.
“Basically, every day, it keeps getting hotter and hotter,” says Tournament Director for Tennis in The Land, Kyle Ross.
The heat is leaving everyone scrambling for shade or water, including high school tennis players who have had no choice but to bear it.
“I give a lot of credit to the young ladies out on the court right now,” Avon Lakes City School Superintendent, Bob Scott, told 3News.
From the high school court to the professional court downtown, no one can seem to escape the hot temps.
“It's been a real thing, the heat but we're dealing with it,” Ross said.
The Women’s U.S. Open qualifying tournament, Tennis in the Land, is in full swing. The intense competition floated in the air but wasn’t cutting through the heat.
“There have been no issues inside the stadium,” Ross said. “All the heat issues have been on the outside match courts.”
Whether it be the court, your car, or even the classrooms, everyone and everything is being impacted by the high temperatures.
“If it's 95 outside, it's over 100 in the classroom,” Scott said.
Avon Lake City Schools was one of nine districts that canceled classes Wednesday. The district announced elementary schools and one middle school would delay the first day of school to Thursday.
Scott told 3News the air conditioning system wasn’t strong enough throughout the 60 plus year-old elementary school buildings, especially while social distancing remains top of mind.
“Really because of our COVID mitigation protocols, we can't move them together,” Scott said. “We want them to wear masks and it is uncomfortable when it's this hot.”
According to Scott, the district has a committee meeting scheduled about how to install more air conditioning units in the elementary schools, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process was delayed. Should classes be delayed longer, Scott said a decision will be made no later than 1 p.m. the day before.