Summer Weather Safety Week

Excessive Heat and Lightning

June 18th-22th, 2018

The National Weather Service (NWS) have joined together with other local and state agencies to promote Missouri and Kansas Summer Weather Safety Week 2018: Excessive Heat and Lightning. The following is important safety information that can save peoples lives. Please help spread the word about excessive heat and lightning safety so everyone can have a safe summer.

Join the National Weather Service in building a Weather Ready Nation by promoting the following weather safety information.

Heat Safety  |  Ligthning Safety  |  Flood Safety  |  UV Safety

Before heading to the park, lake, scenic river, ball game or to any outdoor activity be ready for unexpected or even hazardous weather conditions. Get the latest forecast before heading out

• Monitor NOAA Weather Radio, local media, or favorie weather app.
• Pay attention to changing weather conditions (changing skies , winds, or tempertatures)
• Listen for thunder
• Monitor stream levels
• Be aware of the effects fo excessive heat

Heat Safety

Heaty Safety Tips (PDF)  |  Heat Chart  |  NWS Heat Safety  |  |  DHSS Hyperthermia & Guidebook |  CDC

Symptoms of Heat Disorders

You can help yourself and others avoid experiencing the HEAT DISORDERS (above) by following these safety rules.

• Avoid the Heat. Stay out of the heat and indoors as much as possible. Spend time in an air conditioned space. Only two hours a day in an air-conditioned space can significantly reduce the risk of heat-related illness. Shopping malls offer relief if your home is not air-conditioned. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine. Remember, electric fans do not cool, they just blow hot air around.
• Dress for the heat. Wear loose-fitting clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Lightweight, light-colored clothing that reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Avoid too much sunshine. Sunburn slows the skin's ability to cool itself. Use a sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (sun protection factor) rating.
• Drink FOR the Heat. Drink plenty of water and natural juices, even if you don't feel thirsty. Even under moderately strenuous outdoor activity, the rate your body can absorb fluids is less than the rate it loses water due to perspiration. However, if you have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restrictive diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
• Do not drink IN the Heat. Avoid alcoholic beverages and beverages with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and cola. Alcohol and caffeine constrict blood vessels near the skin reducing the amount of heat the body can release. Although beer and alcohol beverages appear to satisfy thirst, they actually cause further body dehydration.
• Eat for the Heat. Eat small meals more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein because they increase metabolic heat. Avoid using salt tablets, unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Living in the Heat. Slow down. Reduce, eliminate, or reschedule strenuous activities such as running, biking and lawn care work when it heats up. The best times for such activities are during early morning and late evening hours. Take cool baths or showers and use cool, wet towels.
• Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

Thinking About Others

• Do not leave children in a closed vehicle, even for a few minutes. This is a "No-Brainer". Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach 140°F-190°F degrees within 30 minutes on a hot, sunny day. However, despite this common sense rule, deaths from heat occur almost every Summer when someone leaves their child in a closed vehicle.
• When outdoors, protect small children from the sun, their skin is sensitive.
• Help your pets keep their cool. It will "feel" as hot for them as it will for you. As with children, do not leave your pets in a closed vehicle. Be sure your animals have access to shade and a water bowl full of cold, clean water. Dogs don't tolerate heat well because they don't sweat. Their bodies get hot and stay hot. During summer heat, avoid outdoor games or jogging with your pet. If you would not walk across hot, sunbaked asphalt barefoot, don't make your dog walk on it either. (Dogs can also get blisters on their paws from hot pavement.)
• Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

Never Leave Children, Disabled Adults or Pets in Parked Vehicles

Each year, dozens of children and untold numbers of pets left in parked vehicles die from hyperthermia. Hyperthermia is an acute condition that occurs when the body absorbs more heat than it can handle. Hyperthermia can occur even on a mild day. Studies have shown that the temperature inside a parked vehicle can rapidly rise to a dangerous level for children, pets and even adults.  Leaving the windows slightly open does not significantly decrease the heating rate. The effects can be more severe on children because their bodies warm at a faster rate than adults.

Courtesy of San Francisco State University. Use of this graph does not imply NWS endorsement of services provided by San Francisco State University.

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.

Shown below are time lapse photos of thermometer readings in a car over a period of less than an hour. As the animation shows, in just over 2 minutes the car went from a safe temperature to an unsafe temperature of 94.3°F. This demonstration shows just how quickly a vehicle can become a death trap for a child.

Objects Heated by the Sun Warm Vehicle's Air

CLICK HERE FOR ANIMATION (700K)
( Hi-Res ~ 2.5 mb.WMV file)
Individual Frames:
0 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min, 60 min
Animation Courtesy of General Motors and San Francisco State University. Use of this animation does not imply NWS endorsement of services provided by General Motors and San Francisco State University.
Hyperthermia deaths aren't confined to summer months. They also happen during the spring and fall. Below are some examples.

The atmosphere and the windows of a car are relatively transparent to the sun’s shortwave radiation yellow in figure below) and are warmed little. This shortwave energy, however, does heat objects it strikes. For example, a dark dashboard or seat can easily reach temperatures in the range of 180°F to more than 200°F. These objects, e.g., dashboard, steering wheel, childseat, heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection and give off longwave radiation (infrared), which efficiently warms the air trapped inside a vehicle. Learn more about excessive heat and cars.

Safety Tips for Concerning Children

• Make sure your child's safety seat and safety belt buckles aren't too hot before securing your child in a safety restraint system, especially when your car has been parked in the heat.
• Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in, on, or around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks--even at home--and keep keys out of children's reach.
• Always make sure all children have left the car when you reach your destination. Don't leave sleeping infants in the car ever!

Missouri Heat Related Deaths*

Heat Related Deaths: 1980 - 2016:   1272

More Hyperthermia statistics for Missouri

To advise you of the potential of excessive heat, NWS Springfield will issue:

Heat advisory: Heat index around 105 degrees or greater, or 4 days or more of a heat index greater than 100.

Excessive Heat Warning: Heat index of 105 for 4 days OR a heat index of 110 degrees or greater.

Hazardous weather outlook: Daily at 6 am and 1 pm to highlight the potential of any hazardous weather over the next few days. 

United States Lightning Deaths: Analysis 2006 through 2016

United States Lightning Deaths: Thus far in 2017

Flood Safety

Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard.  Why?  The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water.

Be especialy alert when camping near or floating on area streams and rivers.  Water levels can rise rapidy and without little if any notice.  Heavy rain upstream can cause flash floods even thougth it may be sunny at your location. 

Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream.  Of these drownings, many are preventable, but too many people continue to drive across a flooded road.

One of the primary flood hazards and causes of flood related deaths across the Ozarks is driving into low water crossings.  Every year a few adventurous drivers attempt to cross flooded roads and fail.  Whether you are driving or walking, if you come to a flooded road, Turn around Don't Drown. You will not know the depth of the water nor the condition of the road under the water.

UV Safety

UV Index Scale

Action Steps for Sun Safety

Do NOT Burn

Sunburns significantly increase one's lifetime risk of developing skin cancer, especially for children.

Avoid Sun Tanning and Tanning Beds

UV radiation from tanning beds and the sun causes skin cancer and wrinkling.

Generously Apply Sunscreen

Seek Shade

Seek shade when possible, and remember that the sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Check the UV Index

The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent sun overexposure. The UV Index forecast is issued daily by the National Weather Service and EPA.