With temperatures expected to soar dangerously high today, Tuesday and Wednesday, the manager of Tamaqua’s community pool is expecting some busy days ahead.

“They will be lining up before the pool opens,” Beth Fritzinger Jones predicted.

Some, she said, will be waiting to check into the H.D. Buehler Memorial Pool at Bungalow Park before the cool waters open at 11 a.m.

“There are some that will be there by 10:30 a.m.,” she noted.

Temperatures today through Wednesday are expected to hit the 90-plus degree mark.

Whether people show up depends on the forecast — but really hinges upon what Mother Nature dishes out at any particular moment.

Take Sunday, for example.

Forecast highs were near 90 degrees, and skies were expected to be a mix of sun and clouds.

“We were rather surprised because it was so, so cloudy,” Fritzinger Jones said. “I don’t think the sun was out for more than two minutes. It was terrible.”

And when rumbles of thunder cracked in the air, she and pool staff had to order swimmers out of the water for safety reasons.

“Every time it thunders, people have to stay out of the pool for 30 minutes,” she noted.

A few sparks of lightning flickered, she said, and “spritzes” of rain began to fall.

“Then it was just to the point that people were leaving,” Fritzinger Jones said.

It won’t likely be that way today, Tuesday or Wednesday if forecasts hold true.

In Schuylkill County, the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning from now until 8 p.m. today. The extreme heat warning means dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 107 degrees.

A heat advisory follows from 8 p.m. today until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The heat advisory notes that it will feel up to 102 degrees, due to the combination of temperatures and humidity.

In Carbon and Monroe counties, the NWS issued a heat advisory until 8 p.m. today. With high temperatures and humidity, it will feel like it’s 104 degrees.

Low temperatures in the low to mid 70s will not offer much relief, the NWS notes, and heat related illnesses can result.

All are advised to:

• Drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun, and stay in an air-conditioned room.

• Check up on relatives and neighbors, and provide pets with adequate water and shelter from the sun.

The NWS said extreme heat can be life-threatening among at-risk populations, such as children, the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions.

The electric bill

PPL Electric Utilities’ 29-county service territory will be impacted as folks try to beat the heat.

PPL urges customers to stay safe in extreme heat situations. Find a cool place, drink plenty of fluids, stay informed and check on elderly family members or neighbors.

• Take measures to avoid heat stress or illness and keep your homes cool. During periods like this, air conditioning is a matter of health and safety, not only convenience and comfort.

• According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the primary way to prevent heat illness is with air conditioning.

• If you don’t have air conditioning, the CDC urges you to seek out cooler places like shopping malls, libraries or public cooling centers to avoid the heat.

• The CDC also advises people to wear appropriate clothing and drink plenty of cool, nonalcoholic beverages as part of increased fluid intake.

The heat also causes significantly higher electricity usage. PPL Electric offers these tips for customers to save energy and money while still staying comfortable during extreme heat:

• Make sure drapes and shades are pulled down during the day to block out the hot sun.

• Set thermostats between 72 and 78 degrees. You’ll save energy for every degree higher you can set your thermostat.

• Try not to use large appliances like dishwashers, stoves, washers and dryers during the warmest hours of the day.

• Extreme heat puts additional demand on electrical equipment.

PPL notes that it works year-round to upgrade equipment, trim trees, and install advanced smart grid switches, to ensure a resilient electricity system.

During heat waves, PPL closely monitors grid capacity and use data from its smart grid to proactively identify and address potential issues. If an outage does occur, PPL notes that its entire team, from control centers to the field and the back office, are ready to respond as quickly as possible.

Visit pplelectric.com for more safety and energy-saving tips.