“It’s just so hot,” said Ella Tasler, a lifeguard at the Gowrie Swimming Pool.

The pool was busy Monday with lifeguards and swimmers taking hourly breaks to rehydrate in the shade.

“We’re taking the breaks for the heat,” said Tasler. “And to make sure that everyone is safe.”

Fort Dodge Public Works Department employees started their day at 6 a.m. to beat the heat and were off the clock by 2 p.m.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Alan McFadden, of Fort Dodge, swims in the lazy river on Monday at Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center.

“We start this schedule around Memorial Day,” said Public Works Director Brett Daniel. “We shift our summer hours from Memorial Day until usually around Labor Day. We try to schedule our heavy lifting needs like concrete pouring to be as early in the day as we can because of the heat.”

Daniel noted that Public Works staff also has access to water and air conditioning while on the job as well.

While temperatures felt like they were scorching in the high 90s, high winds and storms brewed in the evening hours.

On Sunday evening, the Fort Dodge area saw high winds as strong as 55 miles per hour with some residents losing electricity during the storm. Midland Power Cooperative reported an outage in southern Webster County, including the City of Dayton in the early morning hours. Service was restored to residents within three hours.

According to Webster County Emergency Management Coordinator Dylan Hagen, no damage reports were received by the county from Sunday night’s storms.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
From left, Hailey Grell, 8, and Autumn Grell of Blue Spring, Missouri, Sarah Geilenfeld and Kaysen Geilenfeld, 10, both of Fort Dodge, go down the slide Monday at Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center.

However, a second round of storms with even stronger winds was anticipated late Monday night.

“It’s important to make sure that you have multiple ways to get weather warnings,” said Hagen.

Hagen reminded residents to pay attention to the outdoor warning sirens, which will activate for tornado warnings as well as severe weather with golf-ball sized hail or larger and winds in excess of 70 miles per hour. These warning activations are a three-minute steady alert tone.

“Iowa Emergency Management Association stresses that 70 mile-per-hour winds, or greater, and golf-ball size hail (1.75 inch) or greater can be harmful and life threatening to the public,” said Hagen. “Seventy mile-per-hour winds can topple large, healthy trees, which can fall onto homes, vehicles, or other buildings. This can also affect structures such as mobile homes. Hail the size of golf balls will begin breaking windows and can cause bodily injury.”

Sirens only within the warning area will be activated. Sirens will also be reactivated for any additional warning in the same area.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Charity Utley, of Fort Dodge, floats in the lazy river Monday at Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center.

Hagen emphasized that the outdoor warning sirens are meant for outdoor warning, meaning if a resident is outdoors and hears the sirens, they should move indoors to a safe location. There is not an all-clear siren.

Temperatures are expected to cool down by mid-week.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Breonnah Alhameed-Foy, of Fort Dodge, goes down the slide at the Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center in Fort Dodge.