COLUMBUS — High temperatures prompted school districts around Ohio to cancel classes or shorten school for a second day Wednesday.
Heat records for the first day of October fell in Columbus, where the mercury at John Glenn Columbus International Airport hit 94 degrees.
Temperature records were also broken in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron and Mansfield, according to the National Weather Service, which said there was a possibility of more record heat Wednesday. WBNS 10-TV meteorologist Ross Caruso said the high temperature could hit 91 degrees; the record for Oct. 2 is 88.
Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district canceled classes Tuesday and Wednesday due to the prolonged heat combined with high humidity. The district has said it doesn’t have the money to add air conditioning in all of its 109 schools.
Legislation introduced in Ohio recently would begin discussions on ways of fixing school construction around the state to include air conditioning and other necessities.
Some individual schools in Akron and Cleveland also canceled classes Tuesday and at least one district in the Cincinnati area dismissed students early. Some districts besides Columbus also were closing Wednesday.
Five Columbus Recreation and Parks Department community centers will be open at 9 a.m. Wednesday:
Barnett Community Center, 1184 Barnett Rd.
Beatty Community Center, 247 N. Ohio Ave.
Marion Franklin Community Center, 2801 Lockbourne Rd.
Westgate Community Center, 455 S. Westgate Ave.
Whetstone Community Center, 3923 N. High St.