Severe Weather Awareness Week Day Five: Extreme Heat

(KNSI) — It may not seem like it now, but central Minnesota will experience extreme heat at some point, and that is Friday’s focus for Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Chanhassen-based National Weather Service Warning Coordinator Todd Krause tells KNSI News extreme temps carry a serious risk. “Every summer we wind up with people at the emergency room because they’re dehydrated and getting heatstroke. And sadly, every few years it seems like we get a couple of fatalities from the heat.”

Since the 1990s, excessive heat has killed 18 people in Minnesota, making it the third most deadly weather event behind tornadoes and flooding.

He says it’s not just the heat. It is the humidity. “We wind up paying attention to dew point and once that’s up into the 70s especially, that’s when it’s tough because the body can’t really expel that sweat.”

He says if it’s 88 degrees with a dew point of 75, it will feel like 103 degrees. Krause says when the mercury soars, check on elderly friends, family and neighbors, especially if they don’t have air conditioning.

Here are some tips to minimize heat-related problems over the summer:

Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day.
Drink plenty of water and non-alcoholic beverages.
Be careful not to get too much sun and wear sunscreen. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.
Know the signs of heat-related illness.

Find more safety tips by clicking here.

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