It's unusually hot this year. Take steps to stay safe and cool.

The weather has been crazy all over the place. But this heat, it's just even killer this year.

I live in Southern California, it's about 9:24 P.M. right now and its 102°F out.
Hot, Humid, and just deadly. Even at night, it isn't safe to be out.

This is for everyone, especially those who live where it gets extremely hot. Just some things you should know to keep yourself, kids, family, friends, and pets safe.

Have a great summer, and stay safe ATS.

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Summer Tips

 Protect your children from too much sun. The sun’s rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so be extra careful during that time.

 Whenever your child is outside, use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 to 30. Choose one that protects against UVA and UVB rays.

 Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours and after being in the water or sweating.

 Keep children under 1 out of the sun as much
as you can. Dress your baby in lightweight,
light-colored clothing with long sleeves and
long pants. Always cover their head. Children
under 6 months of age can have small
amounts of sunscreen put on their faces and
the backs of their hands, but be careful not to
get it in their eyes or mouth.

 Most of the sun’s burning rays go right
through clouds, so use sunscreen even on
cloudy days.

 Select sunglasses for babies and children that
provide 100 percent UV protection.

 When it is 90° or above and humid, children
should not exercise or play outside for more
than 30 minutes at a time.

 Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids
even if they are not thirsty. Water is best.

 Take breaks to cool off in the shade.

 Drink plenty of water. It is very important to drink water. Your body needs water to prevent dehydration during warm summer days. Take special care to make sure infants and toddlers drink enough water. They can become dehydrated much more easily than adults.

 If you have asthma or other respiratory problems, keep a careful watch on the daily air quality reports. Also, don't forget to take your inhaler or other medication with you when you go out.

 Take a rest or nap. Don't push yourself beyond your physical limits.

 Maintain your energy level by limiting your intake of fat and sugar; focus on carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

 Know your body. If you are feeling ill, see a doctor. An average of 400 people die each year in the United States due to extreme heat.

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Pets

 Never Leave Your Pet in the Car

In nice weather you may be tempted to take your pet with you in the car while you travel or do errands. But during warm weather, the inside of your car can reach 120 degrees in a matter of minutes, even if you're parked in the shade. This can mean real trouble for your companion animals left in the car.

 If You Can't Stand the Heat...

Pets need exercise even when it is hot, but extra care needs to be taken with older dogs, short-nosed dogs, and those with thick coats. On very hot days, limit exercise to early morning or evening hours. Keep in mind that asphalt gets very hot and can burn your pet's paws. Pets can get sunburned too, and your pet may require sunscreen on his or her nose and ear tips. Pets with light-colored noses or light-colored fur on their ears are particularly vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer.

 Heatstroke in Pets - Overexertion as a Cause of Heatstroke in Pets

Dogs cannot sweat to cool down like people. They can sweat a little through their paw pads, but the main way dogs cool down (rather inefficiently) is by panting. Dogs with short noses are even less efficient at cooling via panting. Given cool shade and water to drink, will dogs "know" when to stop and take a rest while at the beach or dog park.

 Keeping pets fully hydrated

Keeping your pets hydrated is just as important as it is for us. So always make sure your pet's water bowl is always filled with fresh water.

Hope this information is helpful. As the sun has been acting up, it's been getting even more hot out. So keep yourself, your family, and pets safe.


Keeping pets safe in the summer
Summer heat and health hazards for pets
Safety Tips for the Summer


MOD NOTE: Posting work written by others


[edit on Wed Jul 14 2010 by DontTreadOnMe]

It's been a weird really hot/really cold mix here in Western Washington. What is everyone else feeling as far as weather?

Actually, I had been thinking it was unseasonably cool.

Of course, I am in Orange County, not the desert.

Either way, excellent advice!

Originally posted by spacekc929
It's been a weird really hot/really cold mix here in Western Washington. What is everyone else feeling as far as weather?

The first day of summer in June I believe, it wasn't hot. It was actually windy, and nights were fresh and chill. About a week went it started to get hot. But it would be hot for 2 days, then fresh and windy and a nice day to be out.

Went on like that for about 2 weeks. BUT NOW....., its terrible. It's been 110 + For the past 2 weeks or more, and just humid.

Some very good pointers for the heat and humidity. It has been in the 90's and very humid here. And our AC is out - during the hot part of the day I sit in front of the fan, drink lots of water, take cool showers. I do my chores at night. I must say it has zapped my energy. Take care and thank you for your considerate thread.

Thanks. I'd also like to add this bit.

While others may think different, I'd like to say there are homeless out there, and at times even the shelter they have of there own isn't enough.So do a good deed and offer them some water, believe me it'll make you feel good about yourself, and you'll help him/her out.

Calm down with your damn cream already. I can't go outside without putting sunscreen ?!? What the hell..
Sorry but I think you are going a bit nuts with all thoses tips :\

Originally posted by jolois
Calm down with your damn cream already. I can't go outside without putting sunscreen ?!? What the hell..
Sorry but I think you are going a bit nuts with all thoses tips :\

If they came out my mouth, or if I was the original author of the article's, then you can say that it's me thats going nuts with the tips.

Since I am not there's nothing you can tell me. I am not forcing you todo any of the things in the thread, and only created this thread just to inform people of things they can do, and not HAVE todo.

So it's my opinion that it is you, who needs to calm down, and think a bit before you type.

Originally posted by jolois
Calm down with your damn cream already. I can't go outside without putting sunscreen ?!? What the hell..
Sorry but I think you are going a bit nuts with all thoses tips :\

Really? All of the tips?

So you think we should be leaving pets in hot cars? (For example)

If not, which points in the OP are "a bit nuts"?

Really they are just "common sense" tips, for the most part.

Again OPer, thank you for the post. Filled with some good advice!

wow...i was thinking it is unusually COOL this summer and it makes me feel bad for all the reports of scorching heat in the Eastern US...usually its almost unbearable here in sacramento (and i grew up in AZ in the summers, if you can believe it...) but this year its been like spring all summer. warm, yes...but nice cool evenings. sometimes even a cool breeze kisses the afternoon day, its quite nice.

sorry for those experiencing otherwise.

and i will say that it has piqued my curiosity, to say the least, as far as weather manipulation or even some kind of global weather change...thats how drastically temperate this summer has been here in sacramento...

Originally posted by Oozii

Originally posted by jolois
Calm down with your damn cream already. I can't go outside without putting sunscreen ?!? What the hell..
Sorry but I think you are going a bit nuts with all thoses tips :\

If they came out my mouth, or if I was the original author of the article's, then you can say that it's me thats going nuts with the tips.

Since I am not there's nothing you can tell me. I am not forcing you todo any of the things in the thread, and only created this thread just to inform people of things they can do, and not HAVE todo.

So it's my opinion that it is you, who needs to calm down, and think a bit before you type.

Sorry, I tought you were the author.
And me, calm down? When we suggest people to put a inch of chemicals on their skin because it's "good for them", good joke I'm going to calm down.

@adigregorio no, not all the tips. I tought my post clear enough.. I mean who leaves a dog in a car in summer? I think it's a no-brainer, no?

[edit on 14-7-2010 by jolois]

reply to post by jolois


An "inch of chemicals"? Where does it say that in the OP:

 Whenever your child is outside, use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 to 30. Choose one that protects against UVA and UVB rays.

 Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours and after being in the water or sweating.

There? Nope...that is all there was about sunscreen (that I saw).

While sunscreen *may* be bad for you, 2 out of 18 is hardly going "nuts"...

However, getting angry at 2 out of 18...well...let's just say calm down is a bit of good advice (IMO).

"Only in the hottest years this happens. And this year, it grows hot. We begin finding our men. We found them sometimes without their skins... and sometimes much, much worse. "El cazador trofeo de los hombres" means the demon who makes trophies of men."

Here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada its been pretty cool this summer. Usually we have a run of days where it's over 86 ºF, but I don't even think we reached that yet. It's been warm but nothing like the past summers. I suppose this is all just natures weather cycles. I was just hoping since we got slaughtered this winter that we would at least have a nice summer.
Que sera , sera

I'm in Southern New Mexico, and it's been horrible here. Yeah, I grew up here, and should be used to the heat. But it's been worse, it seems, this year. We recently had the threat of rain (Lots of clouds, lightning, etc, but not much rain), so it brought a very unusual amount of humidity to this area.
I work graveyard shifts, so I have to sleep during the day, and I'm just plain miserable. I woke up today, after only getting about 3 hours of sleep, because the AC in the house just shut down, and it was hard to breathe. That's how hot it was today.
This is the first time in forever that I'm actually glad to be at work because their AC works, haha!

Oh how I wish I could wake up to weather some of you are experiencing, because this heat, even though for my entire lifetime I've lived here in the Cali Desert, I have yet to be used to the heat.

And Britster, I know what you mean, just the other day in the morning was cloudy, seeme'd like clouds coming from SD, could smell rain, but wasn't.

Just thick clouds of humidity. And soon as it was around 8-9am, clouds left, sun came out, and you could feel the moisture build up on you as soon as you stepped outside.

You better takecare, because no A/C in this heat is a no-no. Stay safe.

I spend my days off with my boyfriend, in his nice, refrigerated air conditioned place. I'm more worried for my grandmother and mom who have to stay there all week...other than school and work.
The electric bills are through the roof over here, and the AC, even when it was working, barely made any kind of comfort.
I hope that the next time we get clouds that it cools this area down...instead of turning it into a sauna

reply to post by Britster1821


I find "window shopping" to be helpful in heat filled situations.

Spend the day walking around malls!

1) Exercise
2) Air conditioning
3) Air conditioning
4) Socializing
5) Air conditioning

Oh, and the mall is air conditioned; did I mention that?

I used to hang in the movies too, back when "they" made good movies. But since that one is subjective, maybe they hold magic for ya still.

reply to post by Britster1821


My mom's boyfriend, lives in Las Cruces, and tells me that where he lives, it's a dry heat.

But I remember my mom went there this year, during winter, and came back with some nice pictures of the snow. I was supposed to go out there and visit but had to work.

Just seeing all the snow in those pictures makes me wish it could be like that here right now.

Originally posted by adigregorio
reply to post by Britster1821

 

I find "window shopping" to be helpful in heat filled situations.

Spend the day walking around malls!

1) Exercise
2) Air conditioning
3) Air conditioning
4) Socializing
5) Air conditioning

Oh, and the mall is air conditioned; did I mention that?

I used to hang in the movies too, back when "they" made good movies. But since that one is subjective, maybe they hold magic for ya still.

Haha that is some really good advice. I never thought about that. Going to the movies in the summer is great aswell. I might just do that this weekend.