Baby, it's hot outside (part two of two)

If you are surviving the "heat dome", that's wonderful, but if you are thriving you must be locked in a meat cooler somewhere. Yesterday, I had to walk several blocks because of the arts festival in downtown New Haven, and became intimately familiar with the 'heat index'. It felt like 104 according to the heat index, which factors in humidity, even though it was in the 90s. There was not an inch of clothing that was not doused in sweat when I arrived at my destination. I then slept a solid 12 hours.

Dangerous weather such as we are having is nothing to take lightly. I reported Friday that the CDC documented over 700 annual U.S. deaths between 2004 and 2018. I can only imagine that from 2024 forward, that number will spike considerably. U.S. News & World Report just reported that Phoenix has suffered six heat-related deaths as its temps have soared to 115 in recent days. One hundred fifteen degrees. The only upside is humidity is low (as I write, it is 107 in Phoenix with 27 percent humidity.)

"There are a few CDC portals you can look at that forecast [extreme heat]..." says Dr. Ambarish Vaidyanathan, a health scientist who studies the relationship between health and climate for the CDC. He stressed the importance of staying informed to best assess how to "tackle the heat situation. If you are already in it, the first thing you should do is stay hydrated, stay cool, avoid exposure and more importantly, address symptoms of heat." Of most concern is the vulnerable person - the sick or the elderly man or woman - who is exposed to this stifling, sticky, unbearable heat. Vaidyanathan and colleagues have years of documented research showing a spike in ER visits during summer months, namely cardiac, respiratory and renal events. Certain counties of certain states - such as Maricopa in the aforementioned Arizona or Texas - typically lead the pack for heat-related ER events. Tragically, Maricopa County jumped from 425 in 2022 to 600 heat-related deaths last year.

What is different this year versus even last year is the onslaught of heat and humidity hitting us so early in the season. I have been here 23 years and cannot remember a time Maine was hotter than Miami. Regarding the NWS/NOAA HeatRisk tool -- color-coded by degree of risk (magenta being highest, yellow lowest) -- discussed in this space Friday, Dr. Vaidyanathan says it is critical to "take into account local weather and long-term climatology." He stresses that one should remain rigorous when assessing the "heat mortality relationship that is location-specific [to a certain] time of year [such as now.]"

"So for instance," Dr. Vaidyanathan continues, "know how heat plays a role early versus late in a season." Also discussed Friday, one should realize he or she has not acclimated to heat and humidity this early in the summer. The heat index factors in daytime lows as well, factoring in the relationship between them and overnight lows and humidity. "If it is unseasonably hot and you don't have sufficient cooling [overnight]," there are problems, says the scientist.

Images: top: A dog has the right idea in Times Square in New York; Alex Guerrero from Washington, DC, United States - Miserable Summer Heat; bottom: The NWS/NOAA HeatRisk map with CDC data showing the degree of risk, coded by color, throughout the U.S.