“It’s something that their bodies will have to get used to it,” Hunt said. “We really do a lot of education from the pushing fluids side of things.”

Temperatures on Monday soared past 100 in parts of Oklahoma before noon, and by 2:45 p.m., it was 109 degrees in Freedom, in Woods County in northwestern Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Pike said a high-pressure ridge in the atmosphere is “parked” over much of the southern U.S., resulting in hot, dry weather.

“It’s more or less keeping any fronts from moving through,” Pike said. “It’s just a typical summer upper-level pattern.”

Pike said there could be a slight cooling in the northern part of the state on Wednesday, and by Thursday, much of western and central Oklahoma will have high temperatures in the upper 90s. Highs could drop into the lower 90s by the weekend, he said.

Until temperatures drop, medical personnel are taking extra precautions, O’Leary said.

The heat “wears you down over time,” she said. “It’s like standing in front of a blow dryer.”

In Tulsa, members of the Tulsa Heat Coalition met Monday to review statistics related to the hot weather, discuss the forecast and plan for the possible opening of cooling stations, Wells said.

Members of the coalition include EMSA, the National Weather Service, the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, the Tulsa Fire Department and community service agencies.

A heat alert issued by EMSA entered its third day on Monday, “and we still have a couple of dangerous days,” Wells said.

A similar alert is in place in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, O’Leary said, and will remain effective “until temperatures drop.”