- A heat wave is hitting eastern parts of the U.S. this weekend.
- People should stay cool, hydrate and pay attention for symptoms of heat illness.
- Europe is also experiencing record-breaking heat, and most homes there don't have air conditioning.
The National Weather Service said Sunday that dangerous heat will be hitting eastern parts of the United States this 4th of July weekend.
NWS called the heat wave “highly unusual and potentially record-breaking” and said it “will bring a major to extreme risk for heat-related impacts/illnesses.”
A “major” risk is labeled by NWS as affecting “anyone without effective cooling or adequate hydration.” An “extreme” risk also affects those without cooling or hydration, but it also includes “extreme long-duration heat with little to no overnight relief.”
What to expect
CBS News reported the weekend will feel hotter “because of the high humidity that’s arriving with it.”
In the article, Nikki Nolan, CBS News meteorologist, said, “More than 100 record-high temperatures are expected through Saturday night.” These high temperatures will be in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, CBS said.
According to NPR, the heat wave is from a heat dome, which “occurs when a very hot air mass parks itself over a region and gets trapped under a ‘lid’ above the Earth’s surface,” it said.
How to beat the heat
The National Integrated Heat Health Information System has suggestions to stay safe in the extreme heat this weekend.
Its website said, “Extreme heat illness and death are largely preventable with proper planning and preparing at all levels.”
The advice includes staying inside with air conditioning on extreme heat days. When that’s not possible, one should hydrate, seek shade and wear clothing that protects from the sun. When working or playing in the heat, the health information system says to take adequate breaks and avoid strenuous activity.
The severe temperatures can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, according to NIHHIS. If symptoms of those illnesses occur, such as dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea or confusion, people should take breaks or seek medical help if needed.
Across the world
The U.S. isn’t the only place experiencing unusually high temperatures. Another heat dome has been breaking records in Europe as well.
According to The New York Times, the phenomenon started in Western Europe but moved east over the weekend.
One major difference between America’s and Europe’s heat waves are how people find respite from the weather. Air conditioning is a rare commodity in Europe; according to CNN, 90% of U.S. homes have air conditioning, while only 20% of homes in Europe do.
“In Europe… we simply don’t have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn’t been a major need,” said Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency, per CNN.
BBC said Europeans are surviving the heat instead by finding shady spots to stand in, adjusting school schedules to be shorter and have more breaks and coating windows in chalk to block the heat.