A summer scorcher is forecast for the First State Wednesday.
Temperatures are expected to reach the 90s and James Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, says Wednesday’s heat index will likely be in excess of 100 degrees.
“Coupled with high humidity, it actually will create a temperature that will actually feel a lot warmer so basic translation is, if folks are going to be out and about, drink plenty of water and limit your strenuous activity outside to prevent any dehydration,” said Bunker.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive exposure to hot temperatures can be dangerous.
Kate Cronan, an emergency medicine physician at Wilmington’s A.I DuPont Hospital for Children says some people are more susceptible to extreme heat than others.
“Both ends of the population as in many illnesses’ are at higher risk so the younger you are, so a baby or an older adult like a geriatric age, there’s less tolerance for the heat in these age groups, their bodies can’t do as good of a job in extreme heat of cooling you down.”
Cronan adds that anyone can get sick in extreme heat. She says there are three levels of heat illness; heat cramps, heat exhaustion and the most serious, heat stroke. Symptoms to recognize include nausea, dizziness and an accelerated heart rate.
Health professionals advise drinking plenty of water and limiting drinks containing sugar, alcohol and caffeine on hot weather days as they dehydrate the body.
Last month, the State Medical Examiner’s Office announced that heat exposure was a contributing factor in the death of a 56-year old Sussex county man.
In addition to the heat, Bunker adds that thunderstorms are also likely to accompany the severe heat.
Meanwhile, The National Weather Service is keeping an eye on the first storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur is off the coast of Florida and has the potential to impact the Mid-Atlantic region later this week.