What the Meteorologists are Not Telling You About the Killer Heat!
It’s like that horror film villain nobody sees coming. Extreme heat is the number-one weather-related cause of death in the U.S., and it kills more people most years than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. Yet research shows that most of us worry much more about those more dramatic natural events than we do about heat waves. This misperception is much like worrying about a plane crash when deadly auto accidents are exponentially more common.
To make matters worse, the increasing quantity of deadly heat waves makes us desensitized to the danger they represent. Remember the first time you heard the warning about keeping children, the elderly, and others at risk indoors because of the heat? That was alarming. Now heat waves (three consecutive days of temperatures above 90 degrees) have become so common that the warnings have simply become weather noise.
Heat Waves and Heat Domes
A recent research review showed that US residents have gone from experiencing two heat waves each summer in the 1960s to more than six today. The duration of those heat waves has lengthened from three days to four. The heat wave season also lasts much longer, extending from just more than 20 days in the 1960s to more than 70 now. So yes, climate change is a thing!
Then there is something called a heat dome. Those are popping up across the US with increasing frequency. A heat dome works like a pot with a lid to keep warm air trapped. An area of high pressure will create a “lid” of stable air in the atmosphere, trapping warm air below that line. The warm air will sink to the earth’s surface where it will heat up even more as it becomes compressed from the high pressure.
The heat dome turns a regular heat wave into a more oppressive heat wave. A heat dome over the Northeast is why last month there were several days when Burlington, Vermont was hotter than Miami, Florida. This is particularly bad news because people in Vermont don’t have bodies that easily acclimate to such high temperatures. Oppressive heat enveloping those of us not used to extremely hot weather raises the heat-related disease threat under the dome.
What happens to our bodies in extreme heat?
The human body functions best at an internal temperature of 98.6 degrees. Even though we think of most substances as melting in the heat, when our bodies overheat our blood actually thickens. That means our hearts must pump harder, and over time, it and other organs can be seriously damaged. Our bodies have mechanisms to rid themselves of excess heat—most notably sweating. But when it is hot, and the humidity is high our perspiration cannot evaporate and cool us. So, our internal temperature begins to rise, which can damage the central nervous system, the brain, and other vital organs. The effects of heat and humidity can set in with terrifying speed, resulting in heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke.
The older population is at substantial risk, as are children, whose bodies may not be able to regulate their temperatures as effectively as adults in extreme conditions. But people of all ages can be in jeopardy as heat waves become hotter and longer. Since our bodies need to self-regulate in the heat, people who are not acclimated to hot weather become especially vulnerable. Extreme heat also exacerbates existing medical conditions such as hypertension and heart disease and is especially perilous for people who suffer from any chronic disease. Of course, those who are outdoors for any length of time, especially outdoor workers, regardless of age, are most likely to experience the consequences of extreme heat exposure.
Prevention
We all know that staying hydrated, seeking shade, and avoiding exertion during the hottest hours of the day are the best ways to avoid heat-related illnesses. But let’s face it, many of us cannot completely avoid being outside in the heat. What we can do is understand how long and under what circumstances we can be outside on any given day. We should know how many breaks we should take if we must work or travel outside during a heat wave. There is a solid guideline for that, but you won’t hear about it in most weather forecasts.
What Meteorologists Don’t Tell Us
As soon as the weather gets warm, media meteorologists add the “Heat Index,” sometimes dumbed down to “feels like temperature” to their reports and forecasts. The Heat Index combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to calculate a human-perceived equivalent temperature best described as “how hot does it/will it really feel.” The humidity combined with the temperature of the air is a better indicator of how miserable we may feel in the heat than air temperature alone. But the Heat Index is missing some critical information and assumes we all spend our days in the shade.
The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a measure that provides news you can use. WBGT was created to help military agencies, OSHA, activities associations and many others manage workloads or activity levels in the heat. WBGT is a more complex calculation that includes temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover. You can find the WBGT for any location at any moment through weather.gov. The reason WBGT is a better indicator about how much time and exertion you should spend outside is because it is designed to approximate the way the human body reacts to the heat on any given day.
WBGT is measured by a thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth, which simulates the cooling effect of sweat (which is influenced by wind and humidity). Since the thermometer is exposed to the sun, WBGT accounts for sunlight’s effects on our overheated bodies. This is critical because unless you live in a dense forest, if you are outside you are exposed to sunlight, which the Heat Index doesn’t take into consideration.
WBGT breaks the weather down into color-coded heat threat/activity levels. Once you find out your location’s color-level, the guidelines look like this:
Bear in mind that “exercising in direct sunlight” does not mean you are training for a marathon. It includes walking to work or biking to the store. On the other hand, direct sunlight means there is no shade available.
You can find the WBGT of your area on https://www.weather.gov/ict/wbgt. If you need to be outside, it is well worth it to know what your location’s WBGT is so that you can avoid the horrors of heat-related illness.
The Three Levels of Heat-Related Disease
The earliest signs of general heat illness include having cool, pale, or even flushed skin as well as headache, lightheadedness, or weakness. After that, there are the three identified stages of heat-related illness. The most important thing to remember is that once you have symptoms of the first stage, you can progress to full-on, lethal heat stroke in the blink of an eye. Here are the symptoms you should look for:
- Heat cramps
Heat cramps are exactly as they sound. Severe muscle spasms occur as a result of salt and water loss following exertion, most often in the hands, calves, and feet. Muscle spasms can spontaneously stop on their own, but lingering symptoms of soreness often persist for 24-48 hours. Although hard on the body, if you can relieve the cramps quickly by cooling down, rehydrating and resting, they do not require medical attention.
- Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is a serious condition that occurs when the body’s core temperature increases to 101-104 degrees Fahrenheit. Feeling agitated and anxious are common symptoms (which are often confused with other things) and some people may even faint as blood pressure tries to compensate, but ultimately lowers. This deregulation by heat exhaustion can lead to stroke or other life-threatening conditions, if left untreated. Heat exhaustion may also cause vomiting, headache, fever, generalized weakness, reduced concentration, or impaired judgment. If you have any of these symptoms after heat exposure, you should take immediate steps to cool down and consult a health care professional.
- Heat stroke
Heat stroke is a true medical emergency and is often fatal if left untreated. Symptoms include confusion due to lack of blood flow to the brain and difficulty maintaining consciousness, reddened dry skin, lack of sweat, or profuse sweating with no exertion. Other symptoms include a throbbing headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, fainting, and seizures/convulsions. As you can see the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke are similar, so don’t waste time wondering. Cool down and seek immediate help.
The Coolest Ways to Face the Hottest Days
When the weather gets beastly, certain habits can keep you safe.
- Wear loose clothing.
- Wear a light-colored hat to protect your head, which will keep your body cooler.
- Drink water every few minutes. If this doesn’t come naturally, set a timer. You might want to freeze a couple of water bottles overnight. They will melt quickly, but you will have cold water longer.
- Wear a wet handkerchief or hand towel around your neck if you are moving around outside.
- Wear sunscreen. Sunburn increases your body temperature.
- Go retro and carry a folded fan, otherwise use a magazine, newspaper, greeting card or anything you have with you that you can fan to move the air.
- Duck into the shade or an air-conditioned store at every opportunity. If they are really nice about it, buy a little something 😊.
The Risk Does Not End When the Sun Goes Down
Thanks to climate change, heat waves also are coming to include another increasingly dangerous element: overnight temperatures that don’t cool down enough to so that we can cool down enough. This, of course, is particularly true for people without access to air conditioning. Nighttime temperatures have been increasing at twice the rate of daytime temperatures.
Experts theorize that the humidity has something to do with this. During the day, the moisture in the air can reflect the heat. But at night the humidity can trap the heat in. Hot nights are even more common in cities because the asphalt, concrete, and large buildings absorb more of the sun’s heat than areas with ample parks, rivers and tree-lined streets. At night, when temperatures are supposed to cool down, the retained heat is released back into the air.
The prolonged night heat is what brings out that horror film villain. When your body doesn’t get the chance to really cool down after a hot day, the effects of the heat sneak up on you, creating heat-related problems before you really know what is happening. Here are some tips, some old-fashioned, some counterintuitive, for cooling down at the end of the day (they work during the day, too).
Eat spicy foods. This might sound like a terrible idea on a hot night, but “hot” foods like cayenne, jalapeño, and habanero peppers get their heat from the chemical capsaicin, which acts as an irritant in humans and gets us to sweat more, cooling us down. Spicy foods excite the receptors in the skin that normally respond to heat. The resulting vasodilation, sweating, and flushing from the spicy heat will reduce the effects of the temperature heat.
Eat less salty food and protein. Salty foods and protein produce metabolic heat when digested and cause water loss. Eat more fruits and vegetables (no need to turn on the oven) and smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day.
There’s a right way to cool down by immersion. Putting your body in water is a more effective way to cool down than putting water in your body. Soaking your feet, or your arms up to your elbows, in cold water is a good way to reduce core body temperature and keep your organs working. Cold water will also help reduce swelling in your ankles and feet. However, having a lukewarm shower or bath is the fastest and most effective way to cool off.
Put a bowl of ice in front of your fan. This is the best DIY air conditioner. Just toss a bunch of ice cubes into a metal bowl (or freeze some water straight into the bowl) and set it in front of a running fan. Tilt your fan or the bowl in such a way as to get air flowing directly onto the icy surface, cooling down the blowing air. You’ll feel the effect immediately. Remember to refill your ice trays right away to be ready for the next load.
Set your ceiling fan to run counterclockwise. The ceiling fan blades are tilted slightly to push air upwards or downwards. In winter, you’ll want the blades to turn clockwise, which will pull the cooler air in the room upwards and displace the rising warmth. In the summer, you should switch the rotation to run counterclockwise, pushing more wind currents into the room below. You can do this easily, just find the switch on the body of the fan (there should only be one!) that changes the direction.
If you lose power or live in a home without air-conditioning check your area for local cooling centers. These large, air-conditioned public spaces are available in most major cities during summer months. These are not just for people who have no homes!
Sleep under a damp towel or sheet. This will feel especially nice if you have a fan running at the same time. The evaporation of the cloth’s water will keep you cool all night, and the sheet or towel will most likely be dry by morning. When parts of the body with a high concentration of blood vessels near the skin come in contact with the cold, it helps transfer heat out of the body to cool down faster.
If you have access to an icepack, take it to bed with you. Just make sure you put some material between the pack and your skin, or you’ll suffer from a different kind of burn.
Wet your curtains. This trick has been around for a long time. Spritzing or soaking your curtains or leaving the bottoms to sit in buckets of water, is a great way to cool down any incoming sunlight or breeze from the outside. This trick works best if you choose a window with a draft coming through.
The Bottom Line on Killer Heat
Summer’s rising temperatures are no joke. Heat waves are increasing in frequency and intensity and are killing more people most years than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. In addition to staying hydrated and avoiding high noon, you might want to determine just how dangerous the heat is where you are and plan your day accordingly. The WBGT is more precise than the Heat Index to help you figure out how much activity you can manage without danger on any given day.
It is important to know the early signs of heat-related illness. Muscle spasms, feeling cold or sweating profusely, dark urine, overwhelming fatigue, nausea, dizziness and disorientation must be addressed immediately. During a heat wave, use several cooling techniques every day and make sure that you give your body a break from the heat at night. Stay on top of the heat threat and hang in there because in a few months we’ll be discussing frostbite.
