Aquarion Water Company is asking customers, for the second time in just over a week, to conserve water use.the company announced on July 15.

In a notice issued July 21, the utility asks its customers to limit outdoor watering to handheld watering. This request, according to the notice, is due to high water demand and the fact that such customers in Newtown "may be experiencing low water pressure."

The request will remain in effect until the evening of Tuesday, July 26.

This is the second time this month that Aquarion is asking its customers to conserve water and reduce nonessential outdoor water use. With below average rainfall and extremely high water demand compared to the same period last year, Aquarion's reservoirs and wells are below normal capacity,

While Newtown and its surrounding towns and cities have felt a break in humidity levels in recent days, temperatures and humidity are expected to increase by the weekend. The National Weather Service is predicting "hot and very humid conditions will push the heat index to well over 100 degrees across a large portion of the central US this week." Its website was reporting Thursday afternoon that "Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in effect for much of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Midwest and southern states.

"The heat will spread eastward by this weekend," NWS's website also stated. A look at the detailed forecast for Newtown shows that heat index values for Friday could be "as high as 96" degrees.

Showers and thunderstorms may occur after 2 pm Friday, July 22, when the weather is also expected to be "mostly sunny, with a high near 91."

Friday's overnight and Saturday's daytime hours offer low chances of showers and thunderstorms, as of Thursday afternoon. Friday night was expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 69 and a southwest wind of 5-7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

The weather service says Saturday will be "mostly sunny, with a high near 91 ... [and] west wind 6 to 13 mph."

There is no mention of rain, or even showers, until mid-Monday afternoon.

Aquarion customers with questions about their service, or who need to report issues, are urged to call 203-445-7310.