The Dog Days Of Summer: Triple Digit Temps Often Part Of Summer Season In Texas and Beyond

HOUSTON, TX — Community pools are open, campgrounds along rivers and lakes are filling up, and beaches along the Texas Gulf Coast are becoming a destination.

It’s summer in Texas, and whether families are taking off for summer vacation or just looking for a weekend getaway, the heat and triple digit temps experienced from June to September can take a toll.

Sometimes, it may not be how hot it actually is, but how hot it feels, which most meteorologists and weather experts refer to as a heat index.(Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

For instance, on June 14, the forecast called for a high of 92 degrees, but with the humidity that Houston is famous for factored in, the temperature actually feels like 101 outside.

Image: Shutterstock

On June 23, the temperatures were a tad hotter with actual temperatures hovering at about 94 degrees, but when 65 percent humidity is added, temps feel like an unbearable 110 degrees in some parts of Houston.

On June 23, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for counties west of Houston until 6 p.m., and advised people to drink plenty of water if they are outside and take care of pets as well.

Some tips from the National Weather Service on heat safety during summer months include:

• Do not leave children pets in vehicles.
• Limit outdoor activities and strenuous exercise in the heat.
• If you’re outside, stay hydrated and rest frequently in shaded areas.
• Check on elderly patients, relatives and neighbors who may not have air conditioning
• At worksites: stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade

Image: Bryan Kirk, Patch Staff

Other precautions include:

• Walking your dog earlier in the day so the heat does not burn their paws
• Make sure your pets are well hydrated
• Don’t leave your dogs outside without shade or water
• Wear sunscreen: Sunburn might be a rite of passage, but it’s unhealthy and could cause infections, and ultimately cancer.

Dangers associated with the heat include a risk of heat stroke, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion, which in either case does not require high temperatures to happen.

When heat stroke happens, the victim may experience any number of symptoms, including: an altered mental state, throbbing headache, confusion, nausea, dizziness, shallow breathing, fever of 103 or greater, hot Hot, red, dry or moist skin, rapid and strong pulse, or the may faints, or lose consciousness.
Those victims should be taken immediately to a hospital and their body cooled with shade or cool clothes. Don’t give the victim any fluids.

Victimes who are sticken with heat cramps or heat exhaustion will need to be in a cooler environment, and won’t always require immediate medical attention.

However it’s a good idea to know the symptoms and how to treat them, just in case.

Image: Shutterstock

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