LEWISBURG, Pa. — It was a great day for swimming, and some folks in Union County had the right idea. They spent the day at the Lewisburg Community Pool. Temperatures were in the 90s throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania, and the heat is expected to stick around through the end of the week.
Extreme heat can be dangerous, especially for seniors and young children. If you have to go outside, try to wear lighter colors and breathable fabrics.
"There's a lot of research and studies showing if you wear darker clothing outside in the heat, it just retracts and holds on to that heat," said Ryan Dambach, an athletic trainer at Geisinger.
Dambach says, if possible, avoid going outside during the hottest time of the day, which is usually between noon and 2 p.m.
Make sure you are drinking water throughout the day.
"When it gets hotter out, or you're exercising, sweating, etc., drinking more electrolytes makes sense, so sports drinks, etc," Dambach said.
Always wear sunscreen and stay in the shade whenever possible.
Take frequent breaks when you're outside, especially if you're feeling overheated. If you do start to feel sick, find shade, hydrate, and monitor yourself.
"If you, after a couple of minutes, start to feel much, much worse, try to cool yourself as quickly as possible, whether that is getting more water in you or just water on you to cool down your body," Dambach said.
If you continue to feel worse, call 911. Dambach also says to pay attention to the real-feel temperature, which is a combination of temperature and humidity.
"Even if it might say that it's 95 degrees outside if the humidity is really hot or really high, then the real-feel temperature could be hotter than that 95 degrees, thus making it more difficult for your body to cool itself," Dambach said.
And when it's this hot outside, limit outdoor exposure whenever possible.