‘THE SUN IS BAKING’
Excessive heat warning in effect for today and Wednesday
An excessive heat warning is in effect for Yuma County today and Wednesday, but a National Weather Service meteorologist offers some hope residents won’t have to suffer through these for much longer.
“The sun is baking and it’s summer, and hopefully it’s the hottest we’re going to see for the rest of the summer though,” Mark O’Malley of the NWS’ Phoenix office said. “Once you get into September, it’s pretty hard see 115 degrees.”
As a strong high-pressure system locks into place, today’s forecast high temperature is 115 degrees, while for Wednesday it’s 114, with lows in the 80s for both, O’Malley said. Both highs would tie the
records for their respective dates.
The heat warning, which has been issued for the desert counties across southern Arizona, brings with it the usual warnings: stay in air-conditioned buildings, especially during the hottest part of the day, drink plenty of water, and check on anyone who might be especially vulnerable to heat’s effects.
Symptoms of head exhaustion include muscle cramps, heavy sweating, pale or flushed skin that’s cool and moist, headache, dizziness or nausea. Left untreated it can progress to heatstroke, for which fever, hot, dry skin, headache, nausea and loss of consciousness are signals.
“This is the type of heat where, if you stuck outside in the afternoon, it could be deadly. I’m sure the city has its own ways of dealing with the heat, but it’s not something to take lightly,” he said.
Thursday is only expected to get a little cooler, with a high around 110, but by the weekend high temperatures are supposed to drop
to around 105, which is about normal for this time of year, O’Malley said.
Yuma has had 74 consecutive 100-degree days as of Monday. “It’s nothing near record territory, but it doesn’t happen every year,” he said.
Yuma Sun reporter Blake Herzog can be reached at 928-539-6856 or bherzog@yumasun.com