Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. June 19, 2023.
Editorial: Stay cool this week
It is going to be unusually hot for Wisconsin this week. While heat waves happen, it has been a while since we’ve had to put up with sustained summer heat. That’s why we’re encouraging people to brush up on heat safety.
Temperatures are going to be near 90 for the rest of the week, with the National Weather Service predicting the next real break arriving Sunday. That’s about 10 degrees above normal. Not scorching, perhaps, but definitely noticeable.
It’s a good idea to take it easy if you can when you’re not used to the heat. Staying hydrated is always the first step to protecting yourself. Knowing signs of heat illness is important, as well.
Overheating can show up as heat cramps first. So if you start cramping up while outside, move to a shady area and sip some water. Many times that’s all it takes to start cooling back down and feeling better.
Heat exhaustion is more serious. It manifests as dizziness, thirst, nausea and weakness. Again, moving to a cooler location and sipping water is your best bet. Heat exhaustion isn’t fun, but it’s not usually an emergency.
Heat stroke, on the other hand, is an immediate emergency requiring a call to 911. When a person starts showing signs of confusion or passes out from the heat, it’s a life-threatening situation. The person needs to be cooled down immediately with water or ice, according to the National Weather Service.
One of the big differences between heat stroke and heat exhaustion is sweating. A person with heat exhaustion will still sweat profusely as the body tries to cool itself. Heat stroke often includes dry, hot skin as the body’s cooling efforts shut down. Again, that’s an emergency.
The most vulnerable people during hot weather tend to be the very young and the very old, or people with some pre-existing conditions. So be aware of your risk factors and choose activities accordingly. Staying safe can sometimes be as simple as taking care of outdoor activities in the morning or evening, thus avoiding the heat of the day.
Under no circumstances should people or pets be left in cars during this kind of weather. We’ve all heard of tragic cases where children have died because they were left unattended in a hot car. Temperatures inside a car soar quickly. If it’s 90 outside, models show the vehicle temperature hits 109 within 10 minutes and nearly 120 degrees within 20 minutes.
There were 33 pediatric deaths last year connected to vehicular heat stroke. There have been eight this year already. More than half of those cases involved children who were forgotten in the vehicle, so if you have kids it’s a good idea to check the back seats every time you get out of the car. There hasn’t been such a fatality in Wisconsin for several years, according to noheatstroke.org. Let’s keep it that way.
While unusual for any given day, it’s not particularly surprising to see summer throw us a week of hot temperatures. That’s almost assured every year, though when it happens varies. And we’re not going to threaten any records. Those tend to be in the upper 90s to 100 degrees at this time of year.
Still, it’s worth taking a few extra minutes to ensure your safety when the weather heats up. Common sense goes a long way, so please use some this week. Stay hydrated, stay cool when you can.
What can we say? It’s summer.
