Hot Enough For You? How Metro Detroiters Of All Stripes Handle The Heat

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) Bob Perye of the Rogue Estate barbecue food truck in Ferndale spent his Thursday standing in front of the meat smoker.

The air outside was 90 plus degrees; the smoker that he calls "the beast" was 300 degrees.

You do the math.

The temperature near the grill Thursday afternoon was 120 degrees.

"These are tomorrow's beef ribs," he explained, saying when he puts on a new log the heat gets so intense he has to step away.

But there's a bright side: He loses 25 points every summer, sweating in the heat.

"I can often spend a half hour in front of it, with the smoke and the heat," he said.

Metro Detroiters had to find ways to stay cool as the heat index climbed near 100 degrees. Cooling centers were open, and believe it or not, places like the Detroit Zoo were doing a brisk business.

WWJ 950's Lauren Barthold visited to watch the bear get an icy treat.

Andrea from Ferndale, a nanny, brought her small charge to play in the water. "I knew she'd be cool and I packed ice water for her and snacks."

But for herself? "It's like sitting in an oven, it's so hot. It's so hot and sweaty, my legs are sticking together," Andrea reported.