Beating the heat is tough but there are many creative ways to stay cool without becoming a couch potato.

Local children tried to beat the heat on June 6 by having fun in the sun at the Lynches River County Park Splash Pad.

The director of a local shelter said the last couple of days have been very busy, mainly because of the heat.

Officials were keeping an eye on hot weather that could affect turnout and voting machines. State Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said the weather might be factor because not all the state’s polling places are air conditioned.

You aren’t the only ones affected by the rising temperatures. Your plants are also feeling the effects of the heat, and so are nursery owners who have to keep the plants watered to pay the bills.

With school being out for the summer, here is a list of places that can help keep the children busy during the hot summer days.

On days like this, it’s muggy, it’s hot, and staying around 100 degrees.  So for more and more families in the Pee Dee, it’s pack on the sunscreen, grab a towel and head to a much cooler place. 

Grand Strand residents cope with the hot weather and local agencies provide free air conditioners and fans to help out.

Though summer doesn’t officially start until later in the month, today’s high temperature in the Pee Dee—97 degrees at 4 p.m.—eclipsed the 96-degree record set in 1993, WBTW News13 Chief Meteorologist Frank Johnson said.