Wright County Under Hazardous Weather Outlook for Heat, Chance of Thunderstorms

Residents in the St. Michael and Albertville area may have escaped the heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service July 16, Wright County is under a “hazardous weather outlook” as of Tuesday afternoon.

The outlook was issued by the Twin Cities National Weather service around 12:30 p.m. July 16 with the statement that it will be “hot and humid” Tuesday afternoon and evening with “heat indices between 95 and 100 degrees.”

Temperatures are forecast to remain “hot and humid” Wednesday and Thursday with “heat indices between 95 and 100 degrees.”

There is a chance of thunderstorms Thursday into Friday.

“The most likely window for strong to severe storms is Thursday night,” according to the National Weather Service, with “damaging winds and hail being the main threats.”

Check out a series of previous blogs from those in the St. Michael, Albertville for keeping cool ideas and air conditioning tips. 

• What to Do When Your Air Conditioner is Low on Freon

• Got Air Conditioning Blues ?

• Cool Tips For A Safe Summer Trip

• How to Dodge a Heat Stroke During a Heat Wave

The NWS offers these heat safety tips: 

Recognizing Heat-Related Illness

During extremely hot and humid weather the body's ability to cool itself is affected. When the body heats too rapidly to cool itself properly, or when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, body temperature rises and heat-related illnesses may develop.

Heat-related illnesses can range from heat cramps to heat exhaustion to more serious heat stroke. Heat stroke can result in death and requires immediate medical attention.

Factors or conditions that can make some people more susceptible to heat-related illnesses include age (older adults and young children), obesity, fever, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, prescription drug and alcohol use, and sunburn. Sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, can significantly retard the skin's ability to shed excess heat.

How Fast Can the Sun Heat a Car?

The sun's shortwave radiation (yellow in figure below) heats objects that it strikes.  For example, a dark dashboard or seat can easily reach temperatures in the range of 180 to over 200°F. These objects (e.g., dashboard, steering wheel, child seat) heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection and also give off longwave radiation (red in figure below) which is very efficient at warming the air trapped inside a vehicle.

Keep an eye on pets, the elderly and remember to be careful with infants and young children in the heat, especially in cars. The recent deaths of two children on the East Coast during 90 degree weather underscore the dangers of leaving young ones in hot cars.

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