How hot can it feel to be outside? Prevention tips for avoiding extreme heat waves in the United States, according to UW Medical Center director J. E. Salas
Friday marks the start of summer and the first significant heat wave of the season, according to the National Weather Service, leaving much of the country bracing for temperatures that will feel like they’re in the triple digits.
Salas says if you are working out or playing a sport, your muscles will produce heat. Cool down in the shade or an air conditioned room if you have to.
Extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States, according to NOAA and experts say its risks are likely underestimated It can cause heat exhaustion, “your body’s way of telling you to get out of the heat immediately,” or heat stroke, a life-threatening illness that can occur if heat exhaustion isn’t treated, says Dr. Renee Salas, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Before starting your lifeguard shift or going to that barbecue, take a moment to check the heat index. It includes humidity as well as the air temperature, giving you a more accurate read on how hot it will feel outside, Ward says.
If you can, you can plan outdoor activities earlier in the day to beat the heat. “Three to 5 p.m. in the afternoon is one of the most dangerous times of day,” says Ward.
Whether you’re headed to the pool or going for a walk, wear lightweight, breathable garments. Opt for cotton or linen fabrics, which have big pores in their woven threads that allow for air circulation, or moisture-wicking materials, which draw sweat away from your skin, helping it to evaporate more quickly, Ward says.
Choose loose-fitting silhouettes, Salas says. If your clothes are too tight, the sweat on your skin can’t evaporate, which is key to keeping your body cool. I’m sure people don’t love sweating profusely, but it is actually our friend when it comes to heat.
Don’t forget sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat to prevent sunburn, says Alyssa Provencio, a professor at the University of Central Oklahoma who researches emergency and disaster management.
How hot is it? Where you are, where you are going, and what you can do to protect yourself from heat exhaustion on a hot day
How hot it feels can be determined by where you are. Dark surfaces like asphalt tend to absorb more heat than natural environments. shaded areas have less solar exposure, so they feel cooler. “You can reduce the temperature around you 10 degrees or more by just moving to an area that’s shaded.”
So if you’re a dog walker and it’s a hot day, walk those pets down a tree-lined park or a wooded trail instead of the sidewalk. If you’re heading to the swimming pool, bring a pop-up tent or sun umbrella for protection.
Salas recommends going into an air-conditioning room if you or someone you know is suffering from heat exhaustion. Provencio recommends public libraries because they’re free and open to everyone.
Beware of drinking alcohol on hot days, she says. You may be tempted to crack open a cold beer on the beach, but it’s a diuretic that can dehydrate you and impact your ability to sweat and cool yourself.
Ward suggests putting an ice pack, a wet towel, and a cooling towel on your neck, under your arms, and on your groin to cool yourself off, if you’re feeling hot.
“Some of the body’s major blood vessels closer to the skin live there,” Salas says. And when you put something cold on those areas, “it can help cool the blood running through them.”
Source: Planning to be outside on a hot day? Take these precautions
U.S. Braces for First Significant Heat Wave of the New Season: Source: WHYY, Minneapolis, 2024, May 2024
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“It’s certainly going to feel like middle-of-summer humidity,” he said. It’s going to feel uncomfortable talking about low- to-mid 70 degree dew points.
In Wisconsin, heat indexes could peak at between 100 to 105. NWS Meteorologist Ben Miller told Wisconsin Public Radio that since “it’s been a pretty mild spring,” people aren’t acclimated the same way they are later in the summer.
The city of Philadelphia, for example, has issued a code red warning for its residents in order to transfer homeless people to indoor locations, member station WHYY reports. The notice is put into effect when the heat index is forecast at above 95 degrees for three or more days in a row.
Climate change is shortening the duration and intensity of heat waves. The average number of heat waves the U.S. experiences today has doubled since the 1980s, and the length of the dangerous heat wave season has increased from about 40 days to roughly 70.
The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record. The previous record holder for extremely high temperatures was replaced by last year.
Hotter weather can have immediate repercussions on human health, but the long-term effects of climate change also threaten the planet’s plant and animal life and natural landscapes.
Most of the United Nations’ member countries agreed at a 2015 conference in Paris to try to reduce greenhouse gases in order to counteract the effects of climate change.
The Heat Index: a Measure to Prevent Illness at the Grand Synchrotron (Kirchberg) Air Showers in the Yukawa Region
The heat index is a measure of how hot it actually feels — based on the temperature and the humidity — compared to the actual number on the thermometer.
The NWS encourages people to use airconditioning and the shade, drink plenty of water, and not leave them unattended in a car, as some measures to avoid being ill because of the heat.
