RSSThe heat is on
Summertime sizzles in the Valley, so know what to do to keep coolYakima Herald-Republic
E-mail
Print
Comments
More 'Local'
- New concept and new look planned for State Fair Park
- Volunteer judges offer to ease backlog of civil court cases
- Hitchhiker? DNA leads to husband
- Home custody escapee back in jail
- Mabton mayor pushes to hire Selah ex-police chief
- Account to benefit Dale Carpenter
- Sunnyside hires firm to find new manager
YAKIMA, Wash. — Dust off your sunglasses. Break out your sunscreen. Summer has arrived in the Yakima Valley, and it's a scorcher.
How much of a scorcher? Enough that the region is one of only two places in the nation hot enough to warrant a heat advisory from the National Weather Service.
The advisory ends this evening. But temperatures are expected to be in the high-90s and could even break the 100-degree mark this weekend.
Until then follow the usual, but all too frequently ignored, advice.
Drink water or beverages that replenish electrolytes lost from sweat, such as Gatorade, even when you don't feel thirst, said Juan Acosta, an emergency room physician at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center.
"By the time you get thirsty, your body has already lost too much fluid," he said.
Heat-related illnesses are most easily avoided by holding off on all strenuous outdoor activity and staying somewhere cool.
"Even the mall," Acosta said. "The mall has excellent air conditioning. Just don't spend too much money."
Doctors also advise shunning diuretics, such as caffeine and alcohol, and avoiding substances that could impair judgment.
That's especially good advice if you plan to be among the scores of people floating the Yakima River.
"The majority of our (water) incidents are alcohol-related," said Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Meyers.
The best and safest section of the river for floaters is within the Yakima Canyon, Meyers said.
Along with the hot weather comes an increased threat of fire.
The state Department of Natural Resources has declared 18 counties, including Yakima, Kittitas, Klickitat and Benton, at high risk of fire danger.
Campfires are banned on the National Forest's Naches Ranger District as well as at camping spots in the Yakima Canyon.
Naches Ranger District public information officer Douglas Jenkins said while the fire threat is listed as "high," it's on its way to extreme.
It's already too late north of the border.
Fires ravaging British Columbia's Okanogan Valley, about 80 miles north of the U.S. border, have been sending a haze southward that's been clouding Yakima's otherwise sunny skies.
The diminished air quality has prompted the Yakima Clean Air Agency to declare a burn ban across Yakima County.
This story has been updated to correct information regarding which hospital Dr. Juan Acosta serves as an emergency room physician.
Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the
Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but
refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g.,
you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The
Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason.
Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or
stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and
other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to
suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a
comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the
"report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.
Registered User?
