More than 160 million people are experiencing excessive heat from Dallas to Boston. Parts of the Northeast U.S. could see record temperatures on Tuesday, with highs expected to reach 98 degrees in New York and Philadelphia. It will feel like up to 115 degrees in some areas of the Mississippi valley.
For some young athletes, the heat wave has forced officials to embrace changes in strategy to keep the athletes cool.
In Atlanta, the football team at Benjamin Mays High School shifted practice to start at 6 a.m. local time to avoid running drills through the dangerous heat.
“It just really decreases any type of heat illness,” Natasha Harrigan, the school’s athletic director, said.
Harrigan explained the school measures the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature every 30 minutes to gauge heat stress in the sun. According to the National Weather Service, the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature takes temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover into account. It uses these factors to assess how much a person’s body can cool itself by water evaporation to avoid heat-related illness.
As the readings rise, more safety precautions are taken.
“Every sport is the same thing. Obviously football has helmets and pads. … But as far as the readings and the water breaks … all of that, it’s still the same for all sports across the board,” Harrigan said.
In parts of the U.S., the heat alerts are expected to last through Thursday.
Heat impact
Extreme heat causes more deaths than any other type of weather condition, with cases on the rise. Researchers from the Journal of the American Medical Association say there were 21,518 deaths from 1999-2023 where heat was either the underlying cause or the contributing cause of death, a possible underestimation, they say. In total, heat-related deaths have increased 117% since 1999.
Earlier this month, 16-year-old Joshua Henderson collapsed during his school’s football practice outside Memphis, Tennessee.
He died Saturday after a severe heat stroke.
“They were outside in 95 degree weather,” Angel Henderson, Joshua Henderson’s mother, said. “Running drills and not giving them water until they complete the drill.”
In Chicago, ambulances were told not to bring patients to Rush Medical Center, one the largest in the city, when its air conditioning broke down Monday morning.
“It’s hot in the waiting room. I wanted to come back outside after sitting in the waiting room,” said Gwen Viverette.
The hospital brought in extra air conditioning units.
Heat safety tips
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heat can affect anyone, but for those with certain conditions, it can impact your health more.
If you have to be outside during sweltering summer temperatures, the CDC advises to stay in the shade as much as possible, take breaks, stay hydrated and do activities during the evening or cooler part of the day.
Some symptoms of your body overheating may include:
- Muscle cramping
- Unusually heavy sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Weakness
- Nausea
