...TORNADO AND SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS APRIL 18-22... ...TODAY/S TOPIC IS...PART 9...HEAT WAVES... ----------------------------------------------------------------- ...EXTREME HEAT IS THE NUMBER ONE WEATHER-RELATED KILLER... EXTREME HEAT AND HUMIDITY ASSOCIATED WITH HEAT WAVES KILL OVER 200 PEOPLE A YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES. ALTHOUGH MOSTLY KNOWN FOR ITS COLD AND SNOWY WINTERS THE BADGER STATE OF WISCONSIN IS NOT IMMUNE FROM THE TRAGEDIES CAUSED BY HEAT WAVES. ON AVERAGE...ABOUT 5 PEOPLE DIE EACH SUMMER WHEN HEAT WAS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF DEATH. ...WISCONSIN/S KILLER HEAT WAVES IN 1995... ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE HEAT WAVES IN RECENT HISTORY OCCURRED IN 1995 WHEN TWO MAJOR HEAT WAVES AFFECTED MOST OF WISCONSIN. THAT SUMMER 154 PEOPLE DIED OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY 400 HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES. THE 1995 SUMMER HEAT WAVES HOLD THE RECORD AS THE NUMBER ONE WEATHER-RELATED KILLER IN WISCONSIN SINCE IT BECAME A STATE IN 1848. MOST DEATHS OCCURRED IN THE MAJOR URBAN CITIES IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. AS IN EVERY STATE HIT BY THE HEAT WAVE THAT YEAR...THE ELDERLY AND YOUNG AGE GROUPS WERE HIT THE HARDEST. FOR THE 10-YEAR PERIOD OF 1992-2001...HEAT WAVES CLAIMED AN AVERAGE OF 219 PEOPLE EACH YEAR ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS MORE THAN ALL OF THE OTHER INDIVIDUAL NATURAL DISASTERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HEAT WAVES CHECK OUT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SITE ON HEAT WAVES: HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/HEAT/INDEX.SHTML /ALL LOWER CASE/ WITH THESE TRAGIC DEATH TOLLS THE WEATHER SERVICE HAS FOUND WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY WARN THE PUBLIC OF THE COMBINED DANGERS OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY ASSOCIATED WITH HEAT WAVES. THE WEATHER SERVICE USES THE HEAT INDEX /HI/ AS AN ESTIMATE OF HOW HOT IT REALLY FEELS WHEN THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS ADDED TO THE ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURE. ...HEAT ADVISORIES AND EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUE A HEAT ADVISORY FOR SOUTH- CENTRAL OR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN WHEN IT EXPECTS THE DAYTIME HEAT INDEX VALUES TO BE 105 TO 110 FOR 3 HOURS OR MORE...WHILE NIGHTTIME HEAT INDEX VALUES EQUAL OR EXCEED 75 FOR ANY 24 HOUR PERIOD. AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE SAME CONDITIONS...EXCEPT FOR WHEN THE DAYTIME HEAT INDEX WILL EXCEED 110 WHILE IT REMAINS AT OR ABOVE 80 AT NIGHT. DIFFERENT THRESHOLD VALUES APPLY FOR THE OTHER PARTS OF WISCONSIN. REMEMBER THAT IF HEAT INDEX VALUES REACH 105 DEGREES OR MORE... SUN-STROKE...HEAT CRAMPS OR HEAT EXHAUSTION ARE LIKELY WITH PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ...WHO IS AT RISK... KEEP IN MIND THAT ELDERLY PERSONS...SMALL CHILDREN...PEOPLE ON MEDICATION AND PERSONS WITH WEIGHT OR ALCOHOL PROBLEMS ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE DURING A HEAT WAVE IN AREAS WHERE NORMALLY A MODERATE CLIMATE PREVAILS...SUCH AS WISCONSIN. IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO PERIODICALLY CHECK IN WITH THE ELDERLY AND OTHERS WHO ARE SUSCEPTIBLE...AND HELP THEM OBTAIN RELIEF FROM THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY. ...SAFETY TIPS... HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO...SLOW DOWN AND REDUCE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ESPECIALLY DURING THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE DAY. DRESS FOR SUMMER... WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT...LIGHT-COLORED CLOTHING. DO NOT GET TOO MUCH SUN..IT MAKES IT EVEN HARDER FOR YOUR SKIN TO COOL YOU OFF. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND STAY AWAY FROM ALL ALCOHOLIC DRINKS...WHICH WILL MAKE THE HEAT/S EFFECT ON YOUR BODY EVEN WORSE. SPEND YOUR TIME INDOORS. IF AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT AVAILABLE...STAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OUT OF THE SUNSHINE. YOU CAN ALSO TRY TO GO TO A PUBLIC BUILDING WHERE AIR CONDITIONING IS AVAILABLE OR SIT IN A BATHTUB FILLED WITH COOL WATER. AS WITH ANY SEVERE WEATHER STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL-HAZARDS OR YOUR LOCAL TV OR RADIO STATIONS FOR THE LATEST FORECAST AND HEAT INDEX VALUES. FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION AND UP TO DATE FORECASTS AND WARNINGS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: http://weather.gov/mkx $$ KAPELA