The Latest Heat Wave is Now

I don’t want to complain about how hot it is out there, but two hobbits just ran by and threw a ring into the local park. As of the morning of Friday July 22, 2016, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago (among others) were placed under heat wave alerts. This is the first time in over a decade that these three major cities have all been under the same heat advisory. There are a total of 26 states under heat alerts. The hot temperatures are going to all but permeate the nation this weekend with plenty of 100 degree readouts over the course of this weekend. With such extreme temperatures, be careful. Heat-related illnesses are prevalent during heat waves. CNN reminds everyone that hot temperatures are extremely dangerous even during the night while we sleep – sometimes even more deadly than daytime heat. They say that in order to recover from the day’s heat, temperatures must drop to at least 80 degrees. Otherwise your body will be hard pressed to recover, and this leads to extended heat exhaustion or death. If you can, keep the AC on. Just cranking up your fans in extreme heat conditions merely circulates the warm air, and is not an effective method to cool the place down. Staying cool is even more difficult in urban settings, due to the asphalt, concrete, and buildings trapping the heat which makes it “warmer during the day, but the real impact can be at night,” according to CNN. Since so much heat is absorbed into the asphalt and concrete, it is released much slower, increasing the temperatures a good 20 degrees hotter than in areas outside of the city. This makes it difficult for the cool night air to bring its much needed relief. [caption id="attachment_20800" align="alignright" width="200"] Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 - via Chicago Tribune[/caption] To illustrate the dangers of excessive heat, all we need to do is look back at the Chicago heat wave of 1995. It was July, and temperatures surpassed the 100 degrees mark. Due to the tar roofs, asphalt, concrete, brick buildings, and other urban heat traps, combined with humidity, made it feel like 125 degrees. The three-day heat wave left 739 people dead. Young children and the elderly are most likely to develop heat-related illnesses (i.e. heat stroke and heat exhaustion), and if not watched, could become critical. Even healthy individuals can become bogged down with heat, increasing their risk. To help counter the heat, drink lots of water. Keeping your body hydrated will lessen the chances of heat exhaustion. Also stay where the air conditioning is. Libraries, malls, movie theaters, and other public areas will be blasting the cool air, so plan to spend some time in those areas when you can. Stay off the streets. As mentioned above, the city’s asphalt, concrete, brick, and more will only add to the heat. Rest. It’s not worth overheating yourself just to get a few more things accomplished. If you’re feeling a bit too warm, take a break (you deserve one, anyway). Live Science also recommends leaving your sweat on your skin. This is your body’s natural way of keeping cool, so keep it there.