TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Southern Arizona is under an excessive heat warning from Saturday through Wednesday, and heat safety will be crucial for you, your family, and your pets.
Temperatures are expected to reach between 110-116 degrees, the highest temperatures in the area in over 20 years.
Officials with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Pima County Health Department, and National Weather Service recommend that outdoor activities be limited to the early morning hours and be completed no later than 10 a.m.
Heat exhaustion & heat stroke are not the same thing. But both can be prevented. #heatwave https://t.co/EAIFyb32yO pic.twitter.com/7DNu6GcZJY
— NOAA WRN Ambassadors (@WRNAmbassadors) June 17, 2016
Wikipedia defines heat exhaustion as a severe form of heat illness and caused by the loss of electrolytes through sweating. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include nausea, dizziness, irritability, headache, thirst, weakness, high body temperature, excessive sweating, and decreased urine output.
If you begin to feel the symptoms, you should: get to a cool and air conditioned place, drink water if fully conciosus, and take a cool shower or use a cold compress.
Wikipedia defines heat stroke as hyperthermia with a body temperature greater than 105.1 °F because of heat exposure with lack of thermoregulation. You can help prevent heat stroke by drinking plenty of cool liquids and avoiding excessive heat and humidity. Heat stroke requires treatment of rapid physical cooling of the body.
If you or someone you know is experiencing heat stroke, call 9-1-1 immediately. Also take immediate action to cool the person until help arrives.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department encourage individuals, groups, and organizations to reschedule or revise their outdoor recreation plans to prevent heat illness.
