Summer heat scorches Delaware

With a heat advisory in effect until 8 p.m., Delawareans are encouraged to avoid spending too much time outdoors.

The National Weather Service predicts hot and humid conditions throughout the day with heat indices around 100 degrees. The elderly and young children are particularly at risk for heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, muscle cramps or pains, headache, nausea and dizziness. Heat stroke symptoms include unconsciousness, hyperventilation, flushed, hot, skin and a slightly elevated blood pressure. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, you should dial 9-1-1.

To safeguard yourself from the heat, the NWS suggests people stay indoors in an air-conditioned location as much as possible and drink plenty of water.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, meanwhile, recommends to those who have to work or spend time outside today, to wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes and to drink plenty of water to reduce the risk of heat-related emergencies while working outdoors.

The same goes for pets, according to Delaware’s State Veterinarian Heather Hirst, who says extremely high temperatures can be distressing for livestock and pets. Hirst recommends making sure pets and livestock have plenty of shade, proper ventilation and plenty of cool, clean drinking water. Hirst also suggests occasionally spraying animals using a sprinkler and trying to avoid overworking livestock.