Each year in Texas, there is always a saying “I wonder how hot Texas can get this summer?” or “ What will be the longest number of days that Texas can get with triple digits weather?” As of July 27th, 2022, Texas itself has had 32 days of consecutive 100+ degree days. The highest recorded in the DFW area was in 2011 with 71 days of consecutive 100+degrees, with 1980 following second with 69 days of consecutive 100+degrees. I remember doing marching band camp in the heat of it all in 2011. Was not a fun time without having the right heat safety tips to help stay cool. The question is, will we reach our all-time high of 100+ for the year 2022?
Accessed from:https://twitter.com/NWSFortWorth/status/1552668573658763265?cxt=HHwWgsC-rez1l4wrAAAA (NWS Fort Worth, 2022).
When it comes to the monthly highest max temperature in the Dallas area for the year 2022. January highest was 75; February 81; March 92; April; 93; May 95; June 103; and July 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Will it go higher as the month process or will it stay around the 100s?
Accessed from: https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=fwd
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2022).
When looking at the maximum temperature, national on July 30th, 2022. It seems that on the west coast near mid-Washington, the temperatures are in the high 109s compared to the east coast, where it’s cooler in the state of Ohio at 82 degrees Fahrenheit. While looking at Texas the temperatures are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are consequences when it comes to a rise in temperature. When external heat from our environment and heat from our internal body combine, this can lead to a rapid increase in heat gain which then can compromise the body’s ability to regulate the temperature leading to heat-related illness (WHO, 2018). Even a small change in heat differences can have a huge impact on one’s health. Extreme heat can be detrimental to one's health, especially for those who are vulnerable to the heat. Not only are those sensitive to heat exposure, but other factors such as economic and social factors can put one at risk.
Heat impacts vulnerable populations such:
Who are pregnant
Newborns
Children
Elderly
chronically ill individuals
Other groups/factors that are impacted (Centers for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2021):
People who are experiencing homelessness
Urban area by the heat island effect
Outdoor workers
Low-income families
Indigenous and Black Population
Access from: https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat (NOAA’s National Weather Service, 2022).
According to the Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) 2022, On July 23rd, 2022, Dallas County had its first heat-related death. A female with underlying health conditions at the age of 66 years old. On July 23rd, 11 heat exhaustion were reported, along with 11 other heat-related illnesses which lead to a total of 23 HRI. Age ranges across the board are affected especially those who are 18-35, 46-50, 51-65, and 65+ and prominently males. The impact of heat on health can last for several days or can happen extremely rapidly, which can lead to death. It looks at the direct impact such as heat illness, which includes sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat strokes, and other HRI which can span several days. When heat exposure accelerates it can lead to hospitalization from cardiovascular diseases, stroke, mental health conditions, renal disease, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases. Heat can also have an impact on health indirectly, such as by changing human behaviors, air quality, the transmission of diseases, health service delivery, and the impact on social infrastructures such as transport, water, and energy (WHO, 2018).
Accessed from: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/heat-related-report.php (ESSENCE, 2022; Dallas County Medical Examiner, n.d.)
In this TED conference talk, Eleni Myrivili who is Chief Heat Officer for the city of Athens, Greece talks about what extreme heat is along with heat waves and how it affects cities. She comes up with a 3 part plan to help with making cities cooler. Out of all public health disasters, heat destroys quietly, especially in cities with the urban heat island effect (Myrivili, 2022). Awareness, preparedness, and redesign are key goals in making cities cooler (Myrivili, 2022).
References:
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. (2021, September 14). Equity in resilience: Addressing the unequal health impacts of extreme heat. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.https://www.c2es.org/2021/09/equity-in-resilience-addressing-the-unequal-health-impacts-of-extreme-heat/#:~:text=Some%20physiological%20conditions%20can%20make,especially%20sensitive%20to%20heat%20exposure.
Myrivili, E. (2022, July). A 3-part plan to take on extreme heat waves [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaKrPDso808
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service. (2022, July 26). Heat safety tips and resources. National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2022). Climate. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=fwd
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstiration. (2022). Graphical Forecasts. https://digital.weather.gov/
NWS Fort Worth [@NWSForthWorth]. (2022, July 28). Wondering how 2022 so far compares to the greatest annual 100+ degree days? Well, we have an answer for you! Where do you think 2022 will end up? (The data for 2022 is up until 7/27 and is currently ongoing) [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NWSFortWorth/status/1552668573658763265?cxt=HHwWgsC-rez1l4wrAAAA
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ReplyDeleteHello Linda,
ReplyDeleteEvery environmental issue is important and needs immediate action, but extreme heat affects us in many ways. Farmers are losing crops, we risk losing water sources, people are becoming ill due to heat exhaustion, and many other issues are affecting us worldwide.
Certain areas get more overheat than others, such as cities. For example, urban heat island is a severe problem in Dallas, TX. According to EPA, there are solutions for this issue by investing in heat-reducing projects, bringing more vegetation into the city, building tree canopies all over the city, and building green roofs that create a cooling effect (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). Unfortunately, many cities have made the mistake of destroying all greenery around, thinking that it is taking up necessary space when within time, people realize that they have made a mistake because there is nothing to protect them from the heat. We still have time to reverse this environmental issue.
Reference
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022b, March 23). Reduce Urban Heat Island Effect. www.epa.gov. Retrieved July 30, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/reduce-urban-heatislandeffect#:~:text=Trees%2C%20green%20roofs%2C%20and%20vegetation,releasing%20moisture%20into%20the%20atmosphere.
DeleteHello, Paola
Extreme heat is really affecting our agriculture, which is not good. That means all of our food sources can become scares and we soon will have a bigger shortage of food and water. I did take a look at the environmental protection agency on ways to help reduce the urban heat island effect. As you stated, they gave out a list of solutions per se, to help create a cooling effect for cities like Dallas. I will most likely look more into that for the next blogs to help with finding solutions to help cool cities down. We do still have time to help reduce the environmental issue of extreme heat.