Heat Wave Rings in Summer Solstice

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “It’s really hot, way too hot actually,” says Andrew Bowden, who was out running in downtown Columbia Wednesday afternoon. There’s no denying, the heat is on. But temperatures are too high to keep Josh Stout from riding his bike. “The wind is going good, which is good, nice breeze and it really makes the heat a lot less,” says Stout. Things are about to change with temperatures forecast to go even higher later in the week and that could spell trouble. “The most dangerous thing would be not recognizing how hot it is, I think folks go outside and think that they are acclamated to the weather and they are not,” says Dr. Steve Shelton, an Emergency Room physician at Palmetto Health Richland. Dr. Shelton says this time of year is when they see the most heat exhaustion cases. Symptoms include, excessive sweating, nausea, severe fatigue and feeling dehydrated. “As far as feeling thirsty, once you reach that point you are actually too late, you are already very dehydrated by then,” says Dr. Shelton. So how do you prevent heat exhaustion? “If you can schedule a time to be outside, it’s appropriate, schedule times earlier in the morning, where it’s cooler as well as later in the evening,” says Dr. Shelton. Crandall Sims reporting, “If you have to be outside during the day, there are ways to be the heat for starters, find some shade.” Other tips include: Dressing appropriately, wearing light, loose-fitting clothing and staying hydrated, drink water before and after going outside.