International Falls failed to live up to its nickname “Icebox of the Nation” late last week and early this week as a blanket of heat lingers in the area.

According to Alex Lamers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, a heat wave like the one Borderland has been experiencing is rare.

“To get a week worth of hot, humid conditions is uncommon,” he explained. “Typically, heat waves last only a few days, but we’ve been seeing a week-long streak of this weather.”

Lamers continued that like much of the region, International Falls has been experiencing a high heat index, or “how hot it feels,” he said.

“The heat index for the Falls on Sunday was right around 99 degrees,” he added. “That is pretty warm.”

The wave of warm temperatures can be attributed to a jet stream pushing a high pressure system north toward Canada, Lamers said. In the case of the past few days, that system has been what the meteorologist referred to as “locked in place.”

Lamers said that when studying this type of heat, meteorologists consider dew points, or how much moisture is in the air.

“The dew points for the northland have been really high — in the lower 80s,” he said. “Typically, it gets pretty warm in the 60s to 70s, when it reaches 80 is very unusual. We’ve just been seeing a pattern of these pretty warm temperatures with a lot of moisture in the air.”

Heat advisories are issued when meteorologists forecast a heat index of 100 degrees or more. Lamers said International Falls was close, but didn’t quite fall under the heat advisory category. He did, however, note that when heat waves last a long time, advisories may be issued as a precaution to members of the community.

“People need to take it easy when it gets this hot,” Lamers reminded. “Heat is deceptive. It may not seem like it is not that hot out, but it can be dangerous.”

Lamers added that people need to remember to drink plenty of non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated beverages as well as take breaks when spending long periods of time outdoors.

He predicted that much of the week will follow the same humid pattern and a storm or two may be experienced into the later part of the week.

“Until this jet stream shifts towards the East Coast, this heat is here to stay,” he said. “It may cool down a little by Thursday, we hope.”

For a complete forecast, visit www.crh.noaa.gov/dlh.