The three straight days of 90 in Seattle was only the 13th time in Sea-Tac history we had a streak of three days at or over 90. The record is 5 days set August 7-11 in 1981. There were five instances of a four-day streak, and six other instances of a three-day streak aside from last week.

For those who have had their fill of the summer heat, we have good news. Saturday was the 167th time in Sea-Tac history it has hit 90 degrees, but only 17 of those dates have occurred after August 16th.

Here is the chart for high temperatures from the heat wave:
City Thursday Friday Saturday
Seattle (Sea-Tac) 90** (Record) 90 90
Seattle (Sand Point) 86 92 88
Seattle (Univ. of Washington) 86 91 89
Seattle (Boeing Field) 85 88 87
Seattle (Pacific Science Center) 83 87 85
Seattle (Safeco Field) 84 86 86
Bellevue 89 95 93
Renton 88 90 91
Tacoma 89 92 89
Everett 83 86 84
Bremerton 88 90 90
Shelton 94 96 90
Gig Harbor 85 88 87
Bellingham 80 85 82
Friday Harbor 84 83 86
Port Angeles 83 78 85
Oak Harbor 72 70 70
Arilington 86 90 88
Olympia 91 93 92
Kelso 97 93 93
Vancouver (WA) 102 101 99
Portland 102 100 99
Forks 82 76 82
Hoquiam 80 71 73
Mount Vernon 84 86 86
North Bend 90 93 91

Ann Wright
(501) 661-2474

 
 
August 18, 2008

Little Rock — Officials at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) have confirmed that two Arkansans have died as a result of the recent heat wave. One of the two persons who died was an elderly female in northeast Arkansas and the other was an elderly male in southwest Arkansas. The deaths occurred in the last week of July and the first week of August.

The Health Department confirms cause of death only by death certificates that have been sent by mail after having been signed by a coroner or other local authority. The process generally takes about ten days to two weeks, and sometimes longer if an autopsy or other investigation is involved. According to John Senner, Branch Chief for the Center for Health Statistics, the state averages about ten deaths every year from heat-related causes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1979-2003, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. While the elderly, people with health problems, and very young children are the most vulnerable, heat can affect anyone—even strong, healthy athletes can be stricken.

Even though the weather in Arkansas has cooled somewhat, there are still hot days possible for the future.  Arkansans need to understand the toll that severe heat can take on the human body.  Several factors affect the body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather. When the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly. Other conditions related to risk include age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.

Our bodies are cooled primarily by losing heat through the skin by perspiration and evaporation.  Problems occur when we are unable to shed excess heat.  When our heat gain exceeds the amount we can get rid of, our temperature begins to rise and heat-related illness may develop. 
Your body has an internal thermostat that is designed to help you maintain proper body temperatures. However, sometimes extreme heat can cause your thermostat to malfunction, which can result in one or more of the following conditions:

Heat Rash. Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common in young children. Although heat rash occurs because of exposure to extreme heat, treating heat rash is simple and usually does not require medical assistance. Other heat-related problems such as those listed below can be much more severe.
Heat Cramps. Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat heavily during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt, magnesium, and water. The low salt and magnesium levels in the muscles may be the cause of heat cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
Heat Exhaustion. Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop in exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. It is the body’s response to an excessive loss of the water and salt contained in sweat. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, people with high blood pressure, and people working or exercising in a hot environment.
Heat Stroke. Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.
Heat-Related Deaths. Most heat-related deaths occur when high temperatures overcome the body’s natural ability to cope with heat. The elderly, very young children and persons with chronic medical conditions (especially cardiovascular disease) are at highest risk.

Those who work, exercise, or participate in strenuous activity, such as football practice, for an hour or more during intense heat may lose or sweat up to two quarts of water.  If you must pursue intense activity during hot weather, follow these safety tips. 

Drink plenty of water; fluid replacement is crucial to avoid heat risks.   Drink more water than usual before exercising or working in the heat.  (If you are elderly or taking medication, ask your doctor about fluid intake recommendations.)
Schedule your strenuous activity during the coolest time of the day. 
Monitor how you feel.  If you have difficulty maintaining your regular pace, slow down.
For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ExtremeHeat/

“The Local”, Sweden’s news in English reported on 12 August that beer sales skyrocketed during July’s heatwave, with the state-owned alcohol retail monopoly Systembolaget’s sales of beer rising by 8.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

Cider and mixed drinks sales rose by 12.5 percent. Overall, Systembolaget’s sales of pure alcohol rose by 6.1 percent in July. Until now, beer sales this year have risen by 4 percent while overall sales have risen by 3 percent.

Credit: KSAZ Fox 10

An entire office tower or hotel may be only a single Hydro customer, so the number of workers, tourists and residents affected was likely in the tens of thousands.  About half of the customers who lost power had it restored by Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after the lights first went out. Another 40 per cent had their power back on by 6 a.m. Wednesday.

B.C. Hydro crews flipped the final switches early Thursday morning, ending a power outage that began shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday when a fire in an underground electrical vault melted 14 major circuits.  Roughly 2,200 customers, ranging from single homes to entire hotels or skyscrapers, were blacked out and the final 100 users were reconnected overnight.  However, Hydro is still asking customers in downtown Vancouver to use power sparingly, to avoid overloading the system as it is energized.

Laura Jones, with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says, based on a similar incident in Ontario in 2003, business losses from the Vancouver outage could top $36 million.