Washingtonians, tourists try to escape inside Washington residents and tourists alike tried to escape the sizzling, sticky heat Wednesday afternoon and head for the comforts of shade and air conditioning.
“I’m just trying to get into a shopping mall or something and cool down a bit,” said Sandy Yogendren, a Chicago resident who accompanied her husband to the city on a business trip. As she stood in the shade of the Smithsonian Metro station, she said she felt unprepared for Washington’s infamous heat and humidity.
She’s not the only one. The combination of high temperatures — the temperature reached 98 degrees Wednesday afternoon, 10 degrees hotter than this time last year– and humidity pushed the heat index up to 105, said Calvin Meadows, hydro-meteorological technician at the National Weather Service. The city will be under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Thursday because the weather conditions can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
| Beating the heat |
| To protect yourself, take the following steps: |
| • Drink lots of fluids; alcohol doesn’t count. |
| • Avoid any activities that raise your core temperature for an extended period of time. |
| • Know the early warning signs for heat stroke, which can cause brain damage and become life-threatening. Its symptoms include lightheadedness, nausea, excessive sweating and a rapid heartbeat. |
| • Beware of heat exhaustion, which can lead to heat stroke. Cool, moist, pale flesh; red skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea; vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion are all symptoms. |
| • If you have to be outside, rest frequently and try to reschedule strenuous activities to early in the morning or later in the evening, when it’s cooler. |
| • If you have any neighbors who don’t have air conditioning, check to make sure they’re OK. |
| Source: Maryland and D.C. health departments |
“It’s a killer,” he said.
Washingtonians have endured six days of temperatures reaching at least 90 degrees this year — and summer is still 12 days away. Meadows said the possibility of showers and thunderstorms from Thursday night to Sunday may lower temperatures to the mid-80s, which is more normal for this time of year.
In Maryland, a woman from Anne Arundel County and a man from Cecil County died from heat-related causes. Both were 65 or older and had previous medical issues.
Sheryl Richardson, visiting the nation’s capital from West Virginia with her son and two granddaughters, said the humidity surprised her more than the heat.
“It’s more muggy — when you step outside, take-your-breath-away muggy,” she said.
She said her crying 18-month-old granddaughter, Raegan, was not tolerating the heat well.
Chris Wolford, a land surveyor who works outside all day, said the excessive heat makes workers less efficient.
“It affects how fast we walk,” he said as he rested near McPherson Square.
Wolford said he accomplishes about 25 percent less in soaring temperatures because he has to take breaks to drink water and rest in the shade.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “If you’re hot, you’re hot.”
At least one business is benefiting from the heat, though.
Brittany Smith, a sales representative for Old Town Trolley Tours, said more people ride the trolley instead of walking — and sweating.
“It feels like this year, we didn’t get a spring,” Wolford said.
