WASHINGTON — The D.C.-area is under an “Excessive Heat Warning,” which means dangerously high temperatures through 11 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s temperature forecast to be around 100-degrees, but when the high humidity is added in it will feel more like 110 to 115 degrees. Sunday’s heat is expected to be extreme, too.
But this oppressive heat is nothing to mess with since it can be deadly. “Obviously heat stroke is the biggest concern,” said Dr. Lina Hong an emergency physician with Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.
Heat stroke, which is also known as sun stroke, can be deadly if emergency medical help isn’t given in time. It can also cause damage to the brain and to other internal organs.
Hong said a heat stroke victim’s skin is red hot and very dry. She said those were very concerning signs of heat stroke because they suggest that a person’s sweating mechanism is shutting down. Hong adds that having a high body temperature and even a fever can be signs of heat stroke.
“The biggest clues that we have for people with heat stroke are when they start becoming confused or start having convulsions like seizures or they start fainting,” Hong said.
Then there’s heat exhaustion.
Hong said heat exhaustion can be thought of as a milder form of a heat stroke. But she said that medical attention is still needed.
“Those symptoms include dizziness, headaches, feeling weak, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and feeling like your heart is racing,” she said.
Hong said certain medicines can make adults and senior populations more susceptible to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
She said those who are outside in the heat need to make sure they hydrate every 15-minutes, even if they are not thirsty. Also she said it’s a good idea to keep an eye on neighbors and friends, especially if they don’t have air conditioning, or take them to a cooling shelter until the heat wave passes.
