It's not the heat, it's ... no, it's the heat

Jun. 21—It's been hot this week, but that's become typical so far in 2024 in this region.

Year-to-date local temperatures are 5.83 degrees above normal figures established over the past 30 years, based on reports at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport weather station in nearby Vienna, Ohio.

"That's significant," Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather based in State College, said. "To be that far above normal over that length of time means you had a lot of warm spells."

The culprit for the recent heat wave is the jet stream sending hot moist air from the south into this region, Kines said. And get ready for more.

"Our forecast is temperatures will end up above norm over the summer months," he said.

So, with high temperatures here to stay, people have to be aware and adjust to the threats it causes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that extreme heat kills 1,220 people in the United States each year, even though the agency regards heat-related deaths as preventable.

Threat to health

Scott DuCharme, emergency department medical director at AHN Grove City hospital, said risks such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke and hyperthermia all can occur to individuals who spend a prolonged amount of time in the direct sunlight, especially doing physical labor.

"The lowest level would be heat exhaustion. This is when you are sweating, your body can still regulate its temperature, but suddenly you have to stop or start slowing down," DuCharme said. "If you feel this it's important to take a break and cool down for a bit. I would recommend every 30 to 45 minutes to take a break."

The next level is heat stroke, which is when your body can no longer regulate its own temperature.

"This is when someone is clearly overheating, but they have stopped sweating and their body can feel cold to the touch," he said. "It's not a true stroke but it gets its name from a symptom. You start getting confused and lose your head space, like a stroke. It is getting serious if you reach this point."

The final level of heat illness he mentioned was hyperthermia, the opposite of hypothermia, a generalized term for when someone's body temperature is abnormally high.

"Depending on how serious it is, we will bring people to the ER and either do an active or passive treatment to cool them down. Passive is the easy stuff like sitting down, being in shade, drinking water. We're just making sure you don't get worse," DuCharme said. "Active is more serious. These can be cold IVs, cold enemas or putting a watered blanket on you with a fan blowing on it."

Other heat illnesses can include dehydration or heat rashes.

"Another concern that people don't think about is anyone working with reflective material like aluminum, bleachers or water," DuCharme said. "The sun will reflect off of these surfaces and you can get what is essentially a sunburn on your eyes. Make sure you wear protective glasses when around these."

Some easy ways to help avoid these problems: Drink cold water and sports drinks, and take breaks in the shade, wear appropriate clothes, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and pay attention to potential symptoms.

"Something else I want to make people aware of, older people can't regulate their body temperature as well as younger people can," DuCharme said. "If you have older neighbors or relatives, make sure you check on them and they are getting the help they need.

Beating the heat

Swimming is another way to keep cool and area residents have plenty of options — with public swimming pools in Hermitage in Buhl Park, the Lackawannock-Shenango-West Middlesex pool in West Middlesex, the Memorial Park pool in Grove City and Chestnut Run swim beach at Shenango River Lake.

The swimming pool at Buhl Park is open noon to 8 p.m. six days a week, and noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays. The pool in West Middlesex, operated by Mercer County Council of Governments, and the Grove City municipal pool are both open from 1 to 6 p.m. every day

The Chestnut Run Swim Beach, like the rest of the Shenango River Lake Army Corps of Engineers recreational area, is open from dawn until dusk.

Swimmers, however, should also be aware of the threat caused by sunburn. Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University recommends limiting time in the sun, including around swimming pools, where water and sidewalks can reflect sunlight to increase exposure.

Wexner Medical Center also recommends sunscreen, 30 SPF or higher, especially for people prone to burning, and reapplying it often.

Climate change

Lara Fowler, a professor and chief sustainability officer at Penn State's College Park campus, said the extreme heat is exacerbated by climate change caused by human activity.

"Globally we're seeing huge numbers of temperature records getting broken," said Fowler.

And all of this isn't new, she said. As the industrial revolution advanced warning cries from scientists about global warning began in the 1850s. This is when smokestacks began belching greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

These gases include carbon dioxide, methane and others.

Greenhouse gases are the real engine behind global warming, Fowler said.

"This builds up and creates a thicker and thicker blanket that hold the heat in the atmosphere," she said of greenhouse gases.

But Fowler added it's not too late to reverse global warming by slashing greenhouse gas emissions through environmental regulation and a shift to sustainable energy options such as wind and solar energy.

"We have a choice," she said.