Heat wave will last through week
The dog days of summer are here, but there are ways humans and pets can remain safe and healthy as the mercury climbs.
Bill Modzelewski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said southwest winds high above are transporting warm and muggy air into the region.
“It'll be warm and humid for most of this week with afternoon and evening thundershowers,” Modzelewski said.
He explained that the pop-up thunderstorms inherent in the current weather are due to the combination of high heat and humidity.
“That leads to instability in the afternoon and evening,” Modzelewski said. “The air rises, condenses and produces the thunderstorms.”
He said temperatures will remain in the 80s for about seven days. The high humidity expected today will push the heat index into the 90s.
Modzelewski said the highest temperature recorded in Butler County was 103 degrees on July 16, 1988.“We won't get near that,” he said of the next several days.Dr. Reginald Reginella, an emergency medicine physician at Butler Memorial Hospital, said two conditions can be caused by the searing sun and oppressive humidity.The less dangerous of the two is heat exhaustion, in which victims notice dizziness, headache, heavy sweating, muscle cramps, thirst and sometimes nausea and vomiting or cool, clammy skin.Reginella said the condition can be reversed by moving to an air-conditioned room and laying down, drinking water or sports drinks, taking a cool — not cold — shower and removing as much clothing as possible.“It's usually very easily self-treated,” he said. “Just get yourself out of the heat.”
Heat stroke, conversely, is much more serious.“That is a medical emergency,” Reginella said. “At this point, you need to call 911, especially if the person is going unresponsive.”Symptoms of heat stroke include headache, confusion, a lack of sweating, dry or red skin, nausea and vomiting, a fever higher than 103 degrees and the skin feeling hot to the touch.If heat stroke is suspected, Reginella said, the patient should not be given anything to drink because they could choke upon changed mental status or unresponsiveness.“They need intravenous fluids at this point,” he said.Once at the emergency department, doctors and nurses work to cool the victim down by using ice packs or a cooling blanket.IV fluids are administered immediately, and the patient's vital signs are monitored until recovery, Reginella said.He said the hospital sees heat stroke patients a few times per year.“The first warm day in the summer, we'll have a couple people come in, and also in the days when the temperature and humidity produce a heat index over 90, like we're seeing now.”Those age 65 and older plus children age 4 and younger are particularly susceptible to illnesses caused by heat.“In the pediatric population, they have more difficulty regulating their temperatures,” Reginella said. “In the elderly, it is because their ability to sweat and feel the heat are diminished through aging.”Cardiovascular disease in the elderly compounds the problems of heat impacts, he said.
He said some blood pressure and heart medications can promote adverse physical effects in high temperatures.Obesity also makes it harder for people to naturally cool themselves down in high heat, Reginella said.In addition to staying hydrated with water or sports drinks, Reginella recommends limiting outdoor activity such as yardwork or walking the dog between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the weather report is predicting high temperatures and humidity.Those who must be outside should limit activity to 15 minutes, then go into an air-conditioned car or room to cool down before heading back out during the day's hottest hours.Reginella also recommends avoiding caffeinated drinks or alcoholic beverages during periods of high temperatures and humidity.
Pets can also suffer in extreme heat, but their own instincts and good care by their owners can prevent a trip to the veterinarian during a prolonged heat snap.Michelle Hunter, a senior veterinary technician at Seven Fields Veterinary Hospital in Adams Township, said limiting a pet's exposure to high temperatures, avoiding walks on concrete or pavement without boots, providing constant access to water and keeping pets inside can prevent them from getting sick from the heat.She said dogs and cats will instinctively limit their activity and find the coolest place in the house to lay down in extreme heat.While some pet owners freeze chicken or beef broth to give their dogs, Hunter said such warm-weather treats are unnecessary as long as the dog is drinking water.“You can give them ice,” Hunter said. “Some dogs will crunch it up and eat it, while others will let it melt in the bowl.”She said dogs displaying excessive panting or lethargy in extreme heat should see their veterinarian.“Above all, just keep them out of the hot car,” Hunter said. “That's a very important factor.”
