EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT
Temperatures will rise fast today with 90 degree temperatures beginning around lunchtime. Highs will be in the 95-100 degree range with high levels of humidity. That means heat index values will be 107-112 in the afternoon. This is dangerous for anyone working outside and for those without air conditioning, it can be life-threatening.
For those without air conditioning, you'd think that sitting in front of a fan would help you out. However, when the ambient temperature is at or above the temperature of your body, you're actually just moving the hot air over your skin.
The cooling properties of a fan only work if your skin is wet. That is key! For those without air conditioning, take cooling showers a few times through the day and apply wet wash cloths to the skin. That will accelerate the evaporation from the skin, cooling it.
Also, a must: wearing light-colored, light-weight clothing and drinking plenty of water.
The dangerous heat and humidity can also affect people who are accustomed to working in the heat. That's because the high levels of humidity mean that sweat stays on your skin, versus evaporating and cooling it.
-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen
