Texas Time: A potentially deadly weather pattern is being set

Earlier in the week, parts of Texas recorded the ultimate sign of oppressive heat. Some cities, including San Antonio, Lufkin, and Victoria, set records for hot low temperatures, and some failed to drop below 80 degrees even at night.

When a little relief is found overnight, the conditions the next day can withstand dangerously hot temperatures.

The severity of excessive heat cannot be overestimated. Although hurricanes and tornadoes are getting the most famous weather phenomenon in the world, many are surprised to learn that heat is the ultimate time killer.

Actually, the heat kills nearly twice as many Americans each year as a tornado and nearly three times as many Americans as the hurricane.

Heat tips apply to more than 22 million Americans from Missouri to Texas, including Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

“The peaks will be pushed into some areas in the 1990s and over 100 years,” meteorologist Dave Hennen told CNN.

Radiation air from the Gulf of Mexico will make Dallas, Texas a heat index – what it will feel like when the humidity turns on – of 110 degrees on both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

With these sensitive temperatures, the National Weather Service advises that heat stroke is likely within minutes of outdoor physical activity – or just from prolonged exposure to the elements.

Fortunately, the human body has evolved to nicely fight excessive heat. Sweating plays a key role in cooling body temperature to a safe level.

In fact, while you sweat, the cooling process by evaporating from your skin can make up to 22% of the heat released from your body, according to National Biotechnology Information Center.

However, this process is significantly slowed down when the humidity is so high that sweat cannot evaporate effectively.

See also  China, US reach surprise climate agreement at COP26

This will be the case in cities like Dallas, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma, Little Rock, Arkansas and Wichita in Kansas over the next few days.

Some valuable ways to combat the oppressive heat are by dressing properly, choosing meals, hydrating, and protecting your skin.

The goal is to drink about half your body weight in your mouth fluid. So a 150-pound person should drink about 75 ounces of fluid a day.

Avoid alcohol for the same reasons as you should avoid foods high in protein during a heat wave, they reduce your body’s natural ability to cool itself.

If you think you’ll be in the elements for more than a few moments, protecting your skin from the sun will give you more than just the obvious benefit of avoiding sunburn.

Sunburns also significantly reduce your body’s ability to cool effectively.

Choose clothes with a light fit to improve breathability. Look for clothes of a lighter color because they will reflect and not absorb solar energy, which means heat.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *