Here is a potentially life-saving tip from someone [me] who largely grew up as a desert rat:

Take a [smaller-than-a-bath-towel] terry cloth hand towel or washcloth and thoroughly drench it in water from the cold water faucet. Squeeze the excess water out, but don't be too thorough about the squeezing--dripping water is an evaporative coolant all by itself.

Wrap the wet towel or washcloth around your neck and keep it there until it needs to be drenched again in water from the cold water faucet.

This can literally save your life! It cools your body generally to some extent, but the MOST important thing is that it drops the temperature of the blood which is flowing through the veins in your neck, to and from your brain.

Since the whole point is the process (as the towel or washcloth dries naturally), keep the terry cloth fairly, "drippy," wet for most temperature circumstances. I suggest little or no additional clothing, and if you MUST wear "something," a big floppy light-textured shirt (something like you would choose to wear to repaint the exterior of your house) is a good choice.

The point of all this is not so much comfort, but rather to keep the blood which is constantly going through your neck cooler (by at least a few degrees) than it would otherwise be.

Doing this can literally save your life, for real.

P.S. Drink as much cold/coolish WATER (NOT soft drinks; NOT beer or other sources of alcohol) as you can, too. Yes, you will be going to the bathroom more often than you are accustomed to.

Staying alive, and NOT having a heat- or other kind of stroke, is well is worth the nuisance--it really is.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2021 11:21PM by Tevai.

P.S. Dousing a washcloth in water from the cold water faucet, gently wringing it out, and then using it as a "cap" over the top of your head is a really good thing to do, too. At a certain point in the temperature cycle, the top of your head is going to need some additional cooling, and this is the most efficient way to do it.

P.P.S. A large bucket, or a basin of some kind (like a plastic basin you would use to wash dishes at a remote campsite), or even a regular bathtub, can be extremely helpful--especially when you are in a "bad" place internally and you know it. Add cool (doesn't have to be actually "cold") water to whatever container you have handy, put your bare feet into the water and keep them there for a MINIMUM of fifteen or so minutes, and repeat the process as necessary. The level of the water should be above your ankle bones (you don't have to have your entire leg(s) covered by water). The reason for doing this is that water used in this way has the effect of "pulling out" heat from your body, and if you are in "heat trouble," you NEED to have that internal heat removed ASAP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2021 06:29PM by Tevai.

Thanks, Tevai.

111 degrees today in Northern CA. Temps of 117* here are not uncommon. I’ve seen 122* here.

kathleen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, Tevai.
>
> 111 degrees today in Northern CA. Temps of 117*
> here are not uncommon. I’ve seen 122* here.

That sounds like my memories of the Mojave Desert!

I hope you are able to stay cool, kathleen.

:)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2021 06:44PM by Tevai.

Thank You Tevia. Living in St. George Utah can be brutal during the Summer months, I will certainly give this a try the next time I am doing something outdoors.

sunbeep Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank You Tevia. Living in St. George Utah can be
> brutal during the Summer months, I will certainly
> give this a try the next time I am doing something
> outdoors.

You are welcome, sunbeep!

One of the things with extreme heat is that, for at least many people who basically get heat sick, memories get affected in a definitely not good way. My suggestion is to print this off, or take notes or whatever, and put that printout, or those notes, with your emergency medical supplies, because if you get affected, you may not be able to remember the details when you need them the most.

North Dakota near the Canadian border... FINALLY some rain for our crops. Also - 63 degrees at 4pm.

Last week last month three nights below freezing, a week later we hit 104 during the day. Now more normal 70's and low 80's. Just need more rain to make up for the drought.

OneWayJay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> North Dakota near the Canadian border... FINALLY
> some rain for our crops. Also - 63 degrees at
> 4pm.
>
> Last week last month three nights below freezing,
> a week later we hit 104 during the day. Now more
> normal 70's and low 80's. Just need more rain to
> make up for the drought.

My Dad was born in Bismarck.

I had no idea the temperatures could be that extreme in North Dakota (I've never been to either of the Dakotas).

Sending you good thoughts and wishes for rain...we in Southern California definitely need rain as well because our "rainy season" this year never happened.

Thanks for the tip.

I know Canadians generally have no idea. I’m weary now at 31C, and wary of the 37C+ coming up this week, which doesn’t even touch a hundred F. But that is scary enough hot for me. No air conditioner. I feel like a Texan caught in a rare winter freeze.

I just went outside to check the thermometer on my garage. It reads 37°C, which for you non-celsius types is 98°F (so Google tells me anyway). Yesterday at supper time it read 40°! We rarely get temperatures like this, and certainly not for days at a time! I live on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies, and this is supposed to last until at least Thursday. I've been wilting for 3 days already...

Me too with the wilting. I can't get anything done. I was dismayed to look up the week's forecast. Temp is going to go down somewhat but will stay higher than usual for us for another week, it looks like.

I can't wait for rain! Cold rain. Sorry all you heat lovers.

Take care, all my fellow Canadians, especially those who don't usually see their thermometers rise this high.

My brother bought me a big floor fan, for which I was very grateful. However, three days later I still haven't figured out how to put the thing together. Plus I need a screwdriver apparently, which is an implement I don't usually have around.

So. I wait for him to come and help. Hopefully tomorrow night. So it's a promise of relief but not for another evening, night and entire day of ongoing heat.

I definitely couldn't live in desert climes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2021 08:20PM by Nightingale.

Nightingale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My brother bought me a big floor fan, for which I
> was very grateful. However, three days later I
> still haven't figured out how to put the thing
> together. Plus I need a screwdriver apparently,
> which is an implement I don't usually have
> around.

Nightingale:

If I was closer to you, I would volunteer to put your fan together--and I come with my own tools, too!

Since you are SO far away, though, I hope your brother can get it done for you very soon. Getting the fan to you was a really nice thing for him to have done.

Stay as cool as you can. I sure never thought I would be saying this to someone who lives in western Canada!

I'm used to 115+ in the desert areas where I have lived some years ago but surprised to see these temps in places like Oregon, Seattle etc. Where people aren't familiar with central a/c among other things.

A spray bottle of water is also good to have as an evap cooler. Spray it on parts of the body where the capillaries are close to the skins, i.e. forehead, ears, throat, etc. and the cooling action is within seconds. Can be augmented by standing in front of a fan while doing this but the cooling action only lasts a few minutes.

Evaporative cooling is not so efficient when it's very humid though so keep an eye on the humidity % or dew point (I'm not sure on the distinction between those two.) If the air is already saturated w/moisture it can't evaporate. Humidity tends to hit later in the summer with the monsoons.

My old refrigerator doesn't do too well in this environment either as it can't evaporate. I can always tell when a storm is coming because the warm temp alarm on the fridge starts beeping.

Very good catch, anonyXmo!

Thank you!

I come from desert, or irrigated desert, life experiences so I know very little about humidity except that I definitely don't like it. (I've been to both Missouri and Louisiana during high humidity times, and those were not experiences I ever want to repeat.)

I just realized that when I think "hot," I NEVER think of humidity!

keep in mind: 'Official' weather service readings are taken inside a box with slats .... No sun hits the instrument...

Out in the sun can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the 'feels like' temp.

"Take a [smaller-than-a-bath-towel] terry cloth hand towel or washcloth and thoroughly drench it in water from the cold water faucet. Squeeze the excess water out, but don't be too thorough about the squeezing--dripping water is an evaporative coolant all by itself."

Ewwww.

Better ideas:

If you are inside - Turn on the air-conditioner, enjoy your day, drink if you want to.

If you are driving - Turn on the air-conditioner, enjoy your day, probably not best to drink.

If you want to go outside - Put on water-proof sunscreen, take a dip in your pool or go to the the beach, enjoy your day, don't drink much.

Learn the metric system.

Perplexed Aussie (MikeyA) Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Take a terry cloth hand towel or washcloth and
> thoroughly drench it in water from the cold water
> faucet. Squeeze the excess water out, but don't be
> too thorough about the squeezing--dripping water
> is an evaporative coolant all by itself."
>
> Ewwww.
>
> Better ideas:
>
> If you are inside - Turn on the air-conditioner,
> enjoy your day, drink if you want to.
>
> If you are driving - Turn on the air-conditioner,
> enjoy your day, probably not best to drink.
>
> If you want to go outside - Put on water-proof
> sunscreen, take a dip in your pool or go to the
> the beach, enjoy your day, don't drink much.
>
> Learn the metric system.


Awwww....

C'mon, Perplexed Aussie.

I've seen "Walkabout" (several times, though not recently). I have some idea of the intense desert heat that much of Australia has to deal with during Australian summer.

You are implicitly describing a USA which does not exist for many Americans, and a Canada which does not exist for many Canadians during this time of climate change--and I doubt it exists in Australia for many Aussies either.

Specifically: You are describing upper-middle-class and above privileges and options which just don't apply to a huge number of North Americans regardless of their individual nationalities.

It is, however, nice to know that such a relatively privileged lifestyle is your daily reality.

My question is: I don't understand how knowledge of the metric system affects the physiological effects of extreme heat for anyone. Can you please explain how this works?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2021 03:25AM by Tevai.

"My question is: I don't understand how knowledge of the metric system affects the physiological effects of extreme heat for anyone. Can you please explain how this works?"

Learning the metric system DOES NOT HELP things which affect the physiological effects of extreme heat for anyone.

It was a suggestion which fell under the "Better ideas" heading.


You say I am implicitly describing a USA and Canada which does not exist. I did not describe anything.

"I doubt it exists in Australia for many Aussies either." What? Is it god? I hope it's god!

I didn't mention class.

My lifestyle isn't privileged. I can think of lots of privileges I don't have.

I've seen "Casino" (several times, though not recently).

Here's a southern trick that I have sometimes used: Keep your window blinds or curtains closed during the daytime. Just keeping the sun out of your house can help to keep it cooler. Also, in the morning, if you don't have A/C, keep your windows shut as long as you are able. It will help to keep the hot air out, and the cooler air from the previous evening in.

Excellent suggestion, Tevai. I went to bed last night with a cold wet towel on my pillow and slept better than I had done before in this heat.

Today it's so hot the schools have closed in some communities as there is no air conditioning and temperature records are being broken all over B.C.

Perspective is an amazing thing. Ordinarily, even days in the 80s are too hot for me, now we're looking forward to tomorrow's forecast of "only" the 90s, not the 100s we're experiencing today. I'm fortunate to be close to the water as at least the temps are lower here than further inland. When I see 40C in areas where family members and friends live I am sorry for them, worried even, as they're past the safer temp levels.

I look forward to the end of this week as seemingly we'll be getting some relief.

But thanks a lot, Tevai. It felt strange but good to have an ice collar in bed last night. Way more effective than my tiny little desk fan and an open window that has no fresh cool air to offer.

I am so glad this helped, Nightingale!

Yay!

:D

I played a jazz gig Sunday for 3 hours (there were breaks) in rather high heat and humidity. I am still recovering from sepsis so it was fun and also an ordeal. One of the trumpet players wetted a bunch of towels then froze them. She took them out at each break and handed them to the rest of us. The towel was cold and remained cooling for a long time. Yes, we got a bit wet though it did not show with all the sweating, at least for me. It is simple to wet and freeze a towel. It helped me. I probably should not of performed yesterday. The cold towels helped immensely.

Great idea. I'm going to try that tonight. Even just the cold towel really helped.

Take it easy Eric. Be good to yourself.

A wet tea towel over a fan works better than you would expect. You DO need to watch it. We had to pull out our 12K BTU portable. I HATE it. The water drip hose and the air exhaust have to be vented outside through the sliding glass door. Hubby built a panel but it still has to be TAPED up and it doesn't stay and lets heat in. Then you can't open the door to cool things off at night. I fight using it but I had no choice. We only use it every 2-3 years for a few days but when you have to have it, it is good to have. I have nice little terrycloth icepacks that tie around your neck and that does it most of the time. Another thing is a good bath where you keep decreasing the temp. I give the dogs cool baths if they seem hot but they pretty much stay in front of the AC. Our furnace is made so you can add AC and I may check into it this winter. Hubby is pushing. We have been here 21 years. No need for AC the first 14. Every year it seems we need it more. I figure it will at least add to the value of the house. I am just terrified to find out what the cost would be.