It’s hot out, and it’s not getting cooler anytime soon. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for all of central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier through Friday, citing dangerously hot conditions with heat index values as high as 105 to 110 degrees. A Heat Advisory is in effect for the North Country.
Health experts say these warnings need to be taken seriously.
On a moderately hot day, say 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. During a heat wave like the one we’re experiencing now, it’s more important than ever to never leave anyone unattended in a vehicle.
"Even if you're running an errand, it's not safe to leave someone, especially a child or an elderly person in the vehicle or a pet in the vehicle while you just run inside for a minute because the temperatures can heat up very quickly inside a vehicle," said Elizabeth Carey of AAA of Western and Central New York.
37 children died last year in hot vehicles in the United States, according to AAA.
Anyone outside in these conditions could experience heat-related illness, which can be an emergency. Upstate University Hospital Emergency Room nurse Michelle Zoanetti expects some heat emergencies coming into the ER over the next few days.
"The things you want to call 911 for is loss of sweating," Zoanetti said. "That's our body's normal way of cooling. So if someone stops sweating, that is a heat emergency. Anything dealing with mentation to confusion, level of consciousness, lethargy, things like that."
Zoanetti said there are ways to avoid an emergency situation.
"It's really important to get someone hydrated," she said. "It's important to get them into a cool place out of the sun. Putting water on their body to help them cool. Ice packs under their arms and again just any way of cooling them with water, cold water. If you can do an ice towel on their body, that's very helpful."
Officials around the region are offering some help to those without air conditioning. Onondaga County social services workers began checking in with clients this week, as the county announced that twenty two senior centers will be open to be used as cooling centers. Public spaces such as libraries can also provide some cooling. Two parks – Jamesville Beach and Oneida Shores – will stay open until 7 p.m. for swimmers.
In the city of Syracuse, pools opened this week and cooling centers will be open at the Cecile Community Center and the Magnarelli Community Center until 8 p.m.
"Everyone be careful, said Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens. "We have waited a long cold winter for it to get warm but don’t take this warning for granted and make sure we’re taking care of each other."
For a list of cooling centers around the state, click here.
