What are some "heat issues" besides the obvious health problems?

Question

The local news station meteorologist put a "heat issues" warning out today for eastern Oklahoma.
We haven't been in such a warning yet in central Oklahoma (that I know of) but it got 110 F. a couple days ago. A customer bought a full-length mirror and put it in her car & it shattered (too rapid change from the a/c store to her hot car) , water mains are just beginning to rupture, and two children have died while playing & climbing into cars. What are some other issues?

Answer 1

It is in the 90s here, and the humidity is terrible. I live in the South, but in the mountains...still, it is almost unbearable, and our electricity went out last night probably because of people all running their air conditioning.



Water plants at night so it can soak into the ground overnight.

Keep cold foods in an insulated bag when going to the grocery store.

Stay as far away from the asphalt as you can.

Do not go barefoot in the sand on the beach.

Never jump directly into a swimming pool if you are overly hot (hypothermia).

Wear cooler clothing.

Answer 2

Not to best Oklahoma,but here in Palm Desert California,it's been 117 and above every day since the beginning of summer. It's my second summer in the desert and the big difference this year isn't the temperature,it's the humidity. The a/c went out last week and we had to spend 2 nights in a hotel,courtesy of our landlord. It was really the first time I was affected by the heat. At one point,I couldn't breathe and thought I might die. Very scary. Heat issues is interesting because I don't think a lot of these situations come up unless it's unusual heat-or humidity. It's a good question and I look forward to reading the other answers.

Answer 3

Heat issues? Summer, not just sidewalk but especially hot asphalt, hottest afternoon hours--burned soles! However, my attitude is always that if I want to get used to hotter heat, each day's barefooting MUST burn the feet.



Now, if I definitely don't want to risk blisters, I cool off the feet when the burning is enough to make the feet start to tingle. I'm back on the hot asphalt once the feet have cooled, even if there is still some stinging from being burned, until the feet tingle once again.



If I don't care much about geting blisters--as in my profile when I do get them from too much burn in 100+ degrees F heat wave weather--then I'll first try to tough it out long enough to where the tingling hopefully equalizes (but wow does it still hurt having to close the eyes and clench teeth to try to get used to that much extra heat). If that tingling doesn't equalize (and I've had my face start sweating from already too much burning building up to even more burning) then it soon becomes a watery and pinching feeling. Watery and pinching feeling is blisters for sure. The reqirement is that I must be able to go home immediately once I get blisters, even if they haven't filled up with fluid just yet.



Obviously if it's so hot I'll get third degree burns, I wear flip flops instead of remaining barefoot.



(Still, I'd once again like to send a message to other barefooters not to be ashamed of burning the soles of feet. It's a NORMAL and EXPECTED result of getting used to hotter heat--Otherwise, why even go barefoot at all in the heat? It's ideal to try not to get blisters, but sometimes pushing beyond a heat tolerance limit will sometimes result in blisters.)

Answer 4

There will also be fire advisories because the dry hot weather will make conditions better for fires. Burns are possible (I've burned myself on the steering wheel once so badly that I had blisters). The tar in the streets melts and causes all kinds of problems. Watering plants in the day during such heat can actually cause the plants to burn. Storing pop in a hot car can cause the cans and bottles to explode. There's a long list.

Answer 5

Asphalt on some roads and roofs becomes soft and sticky. This can be messy, and can cause some damage. These surfaces can get very, very, hot because black absorbs heat.



Uneven thermal expansion around windows, chimneys, flashing, skylights, and gutters can cause leaks when it rains.



Cars can overheat too. It is harder to cool off the engine and its parts during extreme heat; batteries can go bad quicker, the engine can overheat easier if fluid and coolant levels are not adequate, hoses become soft and can blowout easier, under-inflated tires can over heat easier and blow out.



People who are very young or who are over age 65 are more prone to heat stress; there are many reasons for this but mainly their bodies are not as efficient at cooling down.



Hot, hot, hot: It can get well over 150 F inside of vehicles that are parked; which is why even with cracked windows and parking in the shade does not help much, and a good reason why people and pets should not be left inside a parked vehicle. It is also possible to get thermal burns from vinyl seats, door handles, and steering wheels.



Hot and hotter: Sidewalks can be hot enough to burn bare feet, including pet paws-don't walk dogs on any sort of pavement during a heat wave. Metallic surfaces hold heat; metal slides can burn kids. Grasping a metal hand rail can burn your hand.



Heat waves can cause microorganisms to grow rapidly in water; lakes and ponds are especially susceptible to problems with bacteria, parasites, and amoebas. An amoeba called Naegleria fowleri loves warm water in my area; 3 years ago 6 young men died from the brain infection caused by this critter. The public lakes, rivers, and even the ocean water near beaches have their water tested weekly during hot weather where I live. It is not uncommon for some of them to be closed due to high bacteria counts.

Answer 6

I have an old car and you have to start it fast, or the steel ignition will burn your fingers. I'm heat intolerant, and the mail doesn't come 'til about 2. By then, even the walk to the box takes a parasol, and slows me down greatly before I'm back in, so if I'm not expecting anything important, I check after dark. There's no sitting on the porch except Spring and Fall. Georgia mountains here, that were dependably cooler when I was growing up. Not so with climate change. Any errands I can run after dark, I postpone 'til then.

Answer 7

Oklahoma, I remember those days so well and miss them so much. Actually it's Oklahoma that I miss. One thing I saw was the highway pavement buckling in Pennsylvania. It got up to more than 100 and that's unusual for them. Cars overheating are another problem. My electric bill going through the roof is another draw back for high temps. And in Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Texas the heat is causing wildfires to burn out of control.

Answer 8

Aside from the obvious about being careful with the greenhouse effect in cars, a "heat issues" warning will usually also advise people to be careful about spending too much time outdoors, to restrict strenuous physical activity outdoors to an absolute minimum, to drink more water, and to keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Answer 9

Everyone running AC plus everything else at the same time is a huge drain of energy and if anyone has had the honor of working in a factory-the rash one can get in some pretty bad places is unbearable, not even mentioning heat exhaustion and loss of production.

Answer 10

Although it is obvious, Drinking a lot of water is most important for all of us. Many of us forget and then the other issues arise.

Answer 11

...all candles in the house, or that you have stored in the attic will melt if the area is not cooled. We lost our Christmas candles one year.



...water can bred mosquitoes if its left standing too long...this can be dangerous.

Answer 12

Drowning in rivers while trying to cool down.

Answer 13

I will not complain about the heat.. I hate cold weather so much.. I'll just live with the heat and not complain..

Answer 14

Learn you have to drink plenty of H2O.