AMES, Iowa — This is one police department that is not taking off the gloves when the heat is on.
The Ames Police Department in Iowa posted a humorous photo on Wednesday to illustrate how hot it is in the Hawkeye State. The photograph, posted to the department’s Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) accounts, shows an officer posing in his cruiser while wearing oven mitts.
The officer is not actually driving, which is fortunate, because he is not wearing his seatbelt, KCCI-TV reported.
“Driving in Iowa today be like ...” the department wrote on social media.
According to the National Weather Service in Ames, the high at Ames Municipal Airport climbed to 96 degrees shortly before 3 p.m. CDT. The humidity was a steamy 60%.
It was not the hottest spot in the state on Wednesday.
The thermometer topped 100 degrees at about 3:15 p.m. CDT at Des Moines International Airport, according to KCCI. That was a new record for Aug. 23 in the city, and other parts of the state recorded temperatures exceeding 110 degrees, the television station reported.
The Facebook post generated passionate responses.
“You need oven mitts to even buckle a seat belt!” one woman wrote.
“I got a slight burn on my hands in a one-mile drive,” another woman wrote. “Be careful out there.”
A third comment probably summed up the thoughts of most Iowa residents.
“This weather is disrespectful,” the poster stated.