The good news: Water restrictions for Greater Cincinnati Water Works' nearly 1 million customers were lifted Sunday night after crews repaired pumps damaged in a heat-related power failure Friday.

        The bad news: More merciless heat is in store today before temperatures drop to the 80s Tuesday.

        A heat emergency, the first since 1999, remains in effect for the fourth day.

RELIEF IN SIGHT

Tristate temperatures have soared above 90 for the past five days. A cold front is expected to bring respite from the sweltering heat Tuesday.   Highs • July 31: 92 • Aug. 1: 95 • Aug. 2; 96 • Aug. 3; 97 • Aug. 4; 97   Forecast • Today: Lower 90s • Aug. 6; Near 80 • Aug. 7; Lower 80s • Aug. 8; Lower 80s • Aug. 9; Lower 80s   Complete weather information at Cincinnati.com/weather

        Water pumps at the Tennyson Pumping Station on Eastern Avenue in Columbia Tusculum were damaged in a power failure Friday afternoon, prompting outdoor water restrictions. Crews worked around the clock until early Sunday morning to restore capacity and replenish depleted storage reservoirs.

        “Once we got to the valves and pumps, the damage wasn't as bad as expected,” said David Rager, director of Greater Cincinnati Water Works, which serves people in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties.

        Operations at the pumping station were back to normal by Sunday noon. By late Sunday afternoon, crews had responded to 27 water main breaks over the previous 48 hours. The breaks were caused by pumping a lot of water to replenish reservoirs and by dryness, which causes the ground to shift and put stress on pipes, Mr. Rager said.

        Water restrictions were lifted at 6 p.m. The last time restrictions were established was in the mid-1990s because of heavy summer watering demands.

        Today's National Weather Service forecast is hot and humid with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs are expected in the lower 90s, but combined with high humidity, the temperature will feel more like 102.

        A cold front moving in Monday night will give welcome relief to much of the heat-drenched country - from the Central Plains to the East Coast. By Tuesday, the weather in Greater Cincinnati will be cooler and less humid with highs in the lower 80s.

        Sunday's wilting temperatures climbed steadily throughout the day. It was 89 degrees by 10 a.m. and 93 by noon. The high of 97 at 3:42 p.m., felt more like 100 degrees because of the humidity.

        Thursday, 77-year-old Mamie Brown was found dead in her Over-the-Rhine apartment. The coroner's office has not announced whether her death was heat-related.

        No other suspected heat-related deaths have been reported. In 1999, 18 people from Hamilton County died during a July heat wave.

        Among those at highest risk during sweltering heat are the elderly who suffer from heart and lung conditions, said Dr. Malcolm Adcock, Cincinnati health director. The other group at risk is people on medications, such as psychotropic drugs or medications for stress or anxiety.

        “We normally think of the elderly as most vulnerable,” Dr. Adcock said. “A number of people who died in 1999 as a result of heat were people relatively young and on medications that made them more vulnerable.”

        He urged Tristaters to check on friends, neighbors and relatives who are at risk. Many of the elderly don't especially feel at risk or in danger in this kind of weather.

        “In 1999, there were people who actually had air conditioners and didn't use them, and died as a result,” Dr. Adcock said. “If you've got air conditioning, it's not a good time not to use it.”

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