Relentless heat requires caution for people, pets

No, we don’t want to party like it’s 1994.

According to “Climate Assessment for the Southwest,” a University of Arizona climate study done in 2017, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Las Cruces was 110 degrees, on June 28, 1994.

By the time you read this, that record may already be broken.

Also in that year, the National Weather Service recorded 62 days that were 100 degrees or hotter in our region, including 23 days in a row, said NWS meteorologist Jason Laney.

This year, through July 18, NWS had recorded 35 100-or-hotter days, including 34 in row.

Taking precautions

Experts agree the most important things you can do are get to a cooler area and hydrate.

“Our ER has witnessed a noticeable increase in heat-related illnesses over the past few weeks,” said Memorial Medical Center spokesperson Andrew Cummins.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are serious physical conditions (See graphic) and should be addressed immediately.

“I have seen more heat-related illnesses here in the high desert than any place I’ve practiced,” Dr. Kristopher Crawford, director of emergency services at MountainView Regional Medical Center, told the Bulletin recently.

Those illnesses can include heat rash, generally followed by heat cramps – a warning sign of heat exhaustion, which can lead to heat stroke, “which can be life threatening,” Crawford said.

If you must work outside during extremely hot weather, “make sure you do that activity at a pace you can maintain in the heat,” Crawford said. “Work slowly,” he said, and take frequent breaks.

People taking medications should also take precautions, he said, because some medications may predispose them to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Crawford said. Talk to your provider, he recommended.

When it’s hot, it is also important to avoid using alcohol and stimulants, even if they are prescribed, he said. In addition to pre-existing medical conditions, age can contribute to the risk of developing a heat illness, along with activity level and dehydration.

People who are used to exercising outside – running, walking, hiking, biking, etc. – “Just don’t do that,” Crawford said. “Find yourself a treatment indoors or schedule your physical activity early in the morning,”

Hard on the homeless

Community of Hope Executive Director Nicole Martinez said her organization has done several things to address the heat for its residents, most of whom are in outdoor tents.

“We installed a spigot in the middle of the campus for all to use and we have misters going at Camp Hope and an ice machine,” Martinez said. For those not on campus, Community of Hope has an Outreach team to go out in the city and check on welfare of people in the city streets.

“Our Outreach staff has frozen water bottles and towels she is distributing to unhoused people all over town,” Martinez said. “People are finding shade wherever they can find it.”

If community members would like to help out in some way, Martinez said handing out hats and frozen and unfrozen water bottles is helpful. Some people hand out popsicles to help those outside to cool down, she added.

Pets

Michelle Ugalde, a manager at Calista Animal Hospital in Las Cruces, said it only takes a minute or two in a hot car for the temperature to reach dangerous, even fatal, levels in this extreme heat.

Another thing to watch are your pets’ feet.

“Make sure the pets’ paws are protected,” Ugalde said. “Numerous places sell dog shoes or socks for their feet. A lot of dogs don’t like that, so if you can’t get them to wear them, make sure you walk them on a cooler sidewalk or shaded area. To walk your pet on asphalt or concrete will actually burn the padding on their paws.”

Just like for us humans, proper hydration is essential.

“Remember to check their source of water more often,” Ugalde said. “They are drinking a lot more water in this heat. Making sure their water source is full the whole time is important.”

A good rule of thumb, Ugalde said, is, “If it’s too hot for you outside, it’s probably too hot for your pet too. Keep them inside if at all possible. They need adequate shade as well as water.

“We’ve seen cases already in this extreme heat where dogs are sick because of it,” she said. “If they’ve been left outside, ones we’ve seen brought have collapsed, vomited, and pant real hard.

“If you see this case in your pet, seek veterinary care right away.”

School starts

Meanwhile, Las Cruces Public Schools in its second year of an all-year class calendar, began classes Thursday, July 20.

“We’ve got to make sure kids are hydrated,” Las Cruces Public Schools Executive Director of Operations Fred Montalvo said. Students in all grades are advised to bring water bottles to school, he said, and, in some cases, schools even provide them.

As fall sports, including football, soccer, cross-country and volleyball begin, Montalvo said schools are advised to schedule practices “early morning or late evening to avoid the heat.”

Montalvo said the district’s 100 new school buses are all air conditioned, which is also an important issue for the school district, especially for students who travel significant distances by bus to attend classes, including, for example, students who live in Radium Springs and travel to classes at Picacho Middle School or Mayfield High School.

Weather outlook

That year Las Cruces set its heat record, 1994? That was also the year National Weather Laney described as “a summer without a monsoon.”

This year a monsoon is expected, although Laney said it should be later than normal, probably not arriving until early August.