Editorial

Avoid dangers associated with record heat wave

Thursday, July 21, 2005

From year to year, we forget how hot it can get in the Republican River Valley. But -- on days like Wednesday, July 20, 2005-- we are shocked back to sizzling reality.

During the afternoon hours the temperature sky-rocketed to 110 degrees in McCook, and -- making it even worse -- the wind died down to a whisper. "It's just stifling, to be honest with you," said Jan Mahon of Frenchman Valley Co-op of McCook. She was called in the midst of the afternoon heat wave by Julie Anderson and Rhonda Stansberry, staff writers for the Omaha World-Herald.

Jan's comments were right on the mark.

The record books tell us it has been hotter -- with an all-time high of 114 degrees on July 20, 1932. That must have been awful -- especially at a time when there was no air conditioning.

Even with air conditioning, Wednesday was bad enough, especially for those who had to be outside.

One of the interesting things in this morning's World-Herald article was a report from Dave Thede, a meteorologist from the weather service office in Goodland. According to Thede, heat tends to settle in the Republican River Valley and get stuck here.

This prompted these remarks by the World-Herald writers: "This time around, the same hot air mass that's blamed in 13 deaths in Phoenix is putting the 'cook' in McCook and the rest of the Central Plains."

The mention of the 13 deaths in Phoenix is a somber reminder of the danger posed by the hot weather. At times of extreme heat -- as we are experiencing now -- we need to be mindful of our elderly and ailing friends, neighbors and family members.

Check up on them. Give them a call or stop by to make sure they are OK. When temperatures reach over 100, it doesn't take long to fall victim to the effects of overheating.

Even those in good health need to be cautious. Because we have had very few problems in the past, we get to thinking we are invincible. It's wise to take Jan Mahon's advice. She told the World-Herald writers that people in the McCook area are adjusting to the heat by staying in during the hotter parts of the day and emerging early in the morning and later in the evening.

Yes, it's hot ... very hot. But, by taking precautions and using common sense, we can escape the worst of the heat wave.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: