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Heat wave will be around until late August; health department warns of illness
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When Johnny Cash fell into that burning ring of fire, he might have been talking about New Mexico. It is hot in the metro area with heat advisories being issued almost every day. This week has been no different, and it looks like the heat wave will be around until end of August.
Rio Rancho's week ahead looks to be just as scorching as the rest of the state, but temperatures will cool down slightly toward Friday:
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunny and hot, with a high near 98 and a low around 66. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon and before midnight. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94 and a low around 64.
A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91 and a low around 63.
A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92 and a low around 62.
The New Mexico Department of Health reminded New Mexico residents to take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses."Temperatures in much of New Mexico are rising again with many areas in northern and southern parts of the state being forecasted by the National Weather Service to reach over 100°F in the southern parts of the state and 95°F or over in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Farmington. The heat wave will be a prolonged event expected to last through the end of August," reads in a release.
Srikanth Paladugu, bureau chief of NMHealth Environmental Health Epidemiology, says more than 750 heat-related visits have been made to emergency departments in the state since April.
“Protect yourself and others when it’s hot outside by doing what you can to stay cool and hydrated and be able to recognize heat-related illness symptoms when you see them,” she said in a release.
Heat-related illness symptoms include:
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- Cold, pale and clammy skin.
- Fast, weak pulse.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Muscle cramps.
- Tiredness or weakness.
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
- Fainting (passing out).
Precautions everyone should take, especially people at high risk of heat-related illnesses such as outdoor workers, young children and infants, adults over 65 years old, and people with existing chronic health conditions or without access to air conditioning:
- Staying cool inside and/or in shade when possible.
- Keeping window shades drawn during the day to help keep the heat out.
- Drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol. Just as water hydrates you, alcohol dehydrates you.
- Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
- Scheduling outdoor activities for cooler times of the day.
- Pacing yourself.
- Never leaving children or pets in the car.
- Calling your local city and county government offices for any cooling stations available in your area.
- Having a plan to get somewhere with air conditioning, such as a library or friend’s house, especially for older adults and people with medical needs.
- Helping people who have limited capacity to understand how to avoid heat-related illness.
More information can be found atNM-Tracking – Heat Related Illness or at the recently releasedheat-related dashboard to get current information on heat-related emergency department visits as well as heat-related deaths. To track your heat risk, theNational Weather ServiceHeatRisk map as well as theNWS-CDC HeatRisk tool provides a forecast of heat-related impacts.
