Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Heat advisory now in effect

A new heat advisory program will take effect this summer.

The National Weather Service Office in Shreveport, La., has issued a new warning system to alert the public of the possible dangers of heat stress.

The system is based on past weather patterns of very hot, humid, and oppressive weather. The NWS has recognized through past studies that during these periods of high temperatures, heat related deaths occur.

The area in which the NWS provides information for has seen 104 deaths from heat stress in the past 52 years, however 58 of those deaths occurred in the past eight years.

Due to these high numbers, the service has introduced a new warning system to warn the public of days when heat stress is most common.

There will be three steps to the program. A Heat Stress Watch will be issued when dangerous heat and humidity conditions are expected during the next 24-48 hours.

A Heat Stress Advisory will be issues when dangerous heat and humidity conditions may occur within the next 24 hours and a Heat Stress Warning will be issued when dangerous heat and humidity conditions will occur during the next 12-24 hours.

The NWS release stated the new system will not replace the current Heat Index Advisory system, however, when the heat and humidity increases that it is a threat to the public the new program will be used as an additional alert.

The NWS encourages the public when under a Heat Stress Watch, Advisory, or Warning, the following guidelines be followed:

When involved with outdoor activities, take frequent rest breaks to give your body a chance to cool down

When possible, stay in the shade

Drink plenty of liquids, especially cool, non-alcoholic beverages

Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing

When indoors without air conditioning, have at least open one or two windows to aid in circulation throughout the building. This is important even though a fan may be available. Using a fan in a closed in dwelling just re-circulates the hot and humid air and does very little to help the situation.

Check frequently on the elderly, young, and infirm persons to make sure they are okay.