"Heat wave burns, then crashes"

"Port Orchard's four-day heat wave crested at 90 degrees and infected residents with a special type of summer fever before crashing Wednesday amid puffy, white clouds.Teenagers--their faces at once burned and tanned--cruised along South Kitsap-area streets earlier this week in cars with the windows rolled down and their music up. If teens happened to pass one another in just that manner, they sized each other up, sunglasses shielding all but the most prolonged looks.Children splish-splashed in sun-drenched Long Lake and romped about Manchester State Park, heedless of time and that thing called homework. And, within the air-conditioned confines of stores, customers arrived in droves, honing in on rotating fans, pool equipment, camping gear, sunscreen and swimsuits.Such items rapidly disappeared from shelves, normal for this time of year, even without a rare temperature surge, said managers at the local Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart stores.National Weather Service officials said average temperatures for late June in the Puget Sound usually hit the low 70s. Yet temperature records occurred Tuesday in South Kitsap with a high of 90, breaking the 1987 record of 87 degrees and Wednesday, when a high of 88 shattered the 1978 mark of 85. But elsewhere around South Kitsap, some residents didn't react so well to the sometimes oppressive heat. Doctors treated at least one elderly woman for sun exposure at Harrison Memorial Hospital, though South Kitsap Fire District 7 officials said firefighters didn't receive any emergency medical calls related to abnormal temperatures and intense sunlight.Thursday, clouds rolled into town, tracing a cool, gray light. Roadways appeared less populated, quiet. Rolled-up car windows muted contemporary tunes, if played at all.Highs through Sunday are expected to round out at 70 degrees, an average temperature for this time of year. Meanwhile, fire and law-enforcement officials are preparing for a perhaps more hectic Fourth of July."

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