Summer starts today — and the heat is on
BY SHANNON MUCHMORE & DEON HAMPTON World Staff Writers
Monday, June 21, 2010
6/21/10 at 7:02 AM
The first day of summer is expected to make its mark Monday, with temperatures in the upper 90s and heat indexes possibly reaching dangerous levels.
EMSA's spokesman Chris Stevens said Sunday that crews took six people to area hospitals because of heat exhaustion.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa has issued an excessive heat warning for Tulsa and surrounding counties. It will be in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Scorching temperatures and high humidity will combine to create heat index values near 105, which can lead to heat sickness.
Temperatures in the evening will drop to only the upper 70s, the Weather Service said.
People should drink plenty of fluids, wear light-colored clothing and stay out of the heat when possible.
Those most at risk during excessive heat are infants, the elderly and people with high blood pressure or who are not acclimated to the high temperatures.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dry mouth, nausea, headache, rapid pulse, muscle cramps and dizziness, EMSA says.
Other counties in the heat warning are Cherokee, Creek, Okmulgee, Wagoner, Rogers, Mayes, Delaware, Ottawa, Washington, Osage, Craig, Nowata, Pawnee, Sequoyah, McIntosh, Muskogee, Le Flore and Hakell.
Associated Images:
Darrell Hendrickson, 8, cools off Sunday at the splash pad at the Jim Pielsticker Playground at Mohawk Park. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
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