Years ago a thermometer hung among the steam in the workroom at Hutchinson's Dry Cleaners on Negley Avenue, but a few too many hot days like Tuesday spurred Steve Hutchinson to take it down.

Temperatures at the dry cleaning shop can average about 10 degrees higher than outdoors. So when a heat wave like the one hitting the region arrives, workers inside have no choice but to stay hydrated, sweat it out and endure.

“They make sure they're drinking lots of water,” Hutchinson said. “I tell them to try and get your work done in the morning if you can.”

Temperatures in Butler County rose to 90 degrees or more due to a high-pressure air mass hovering over states near the eastern seaboard, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. The forecaster, Lee Hendricks, said the air mass is pumping warm, wet air from the Gulf Coast into places like Western Pennsylvania.

“It doesn't really look like that will change much for us until Friday,” Hendricks said.

This weekend a cold-front strong enough to bump the hot air away is expected to arrive. With it, locals can expect rain.

Hendricks said temperatures in the county next week ought to be much more seasonable, though still slightly above normal.

The NWS doesn't issue heat-related health advisory warnings until temperatures top 103 degrees, Hendricks said.

Folks at Hutchinson's are in those sort of temperatures this week. Standing among the laundry Tuesday, Hutchinson pulled an infrared thermometer from a toolbox and pointed it around the room. He saw readings of 99 and 100 degrees.

Joyce Denton, a spot remover at the store, said she's worked there for 11 years. Such hot days are common in the summer, she said.

“I just keep working,” Denton said. “I have my fan going. I just work until it's time to head home.”

Denton said she has no problems with the Butler School District dismissing students early because of the heat. The district is releasing students two hours early again Wednesday.

“I don't see what the problem is,” she said, flipping over a coat. “If my kid was still in school I'd be glad.”

Butler Superintendent Brian White said Tuesday that school officials aimed to get students out of several buildings that do not have air-conditioning.

“The temperature in some of our classrooms is actually above the outside temperature, and prolonged exposure to a dangerous heat index is concerning,” White said. “Additionally, some of our students do have health issues that are aggravated by the heat.”

White said the decision to cut teaching hours is difficult, but “ultimately, the health and well being of our students, faculty and staff are a priority.”

It's not just students and workers suffering from the sun. Think of the livestock, argued Ed Huston, who oversees federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture distributed throughout the region.

Huston said some farmers, particularly those growing corn or soybeans, are likely happy to see high temperatures. But for those keeping animals, the heat can bring challenges.

“It's biggest for farmers with livestock,” Huston said. “You have to be sure you're keeping air moving through a building,” Huston said.

Thankfully, he added, he hasn't heard about local farmers having problems with overheating livestock lately.

Butler County cows are coping, as are folks like Kathy Byers, a 15-year veteran of Hutchinson's, while surrounded by spinning fans.

“Tomorrow will probably be worse,” Byers said. “Because it won't have time to cool down in here before we fire it all back up again.”

Byers had all the usual tips to stay cool: drink lots of water, eat cold snacks like watermelon and popsicles and keep spray bottles around for an occasional misting. She even tries to regulate her breathing, so big gulps of hot air don't stay in her lungs too long.

But maybe her best trick of all was accomplished years ago, when Hutchinson ripped down that thermometer. Byers tries her best not to think about the heat.

“We all know it's hot in here,” she said. “We don't need to know exactly how hot.”