ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Southwest and Central Virginia are in the midst of a heat wave.
And looking at the forecast, there seems to be no relief in sight.
Which is why health professionals like Dr. Tara Stone with LewisGale is encouraging people to stay cool and hydrated.
“Of course hydration is big, staying in the shade or wearing very light clothing, not a lot of layers. Staying next to somewhere cool if you’re going to be outside,” she said.
If you start to sweat excessively, feel dizzy or get a headache that can be a sign of heat exhaustion.
Whereas a heat stroke is much more serious.
According to Brian Clingenpeel with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue, a heat stroke needs emergency attention.
“Heat stroke involves not sweating. That’s one of the key differences is the not sweating, also going to be dizzy but there is also going to be confusion and possible loss of consciousness with the heat stroke. If any of those things happen than that’s an immediate call to 911,” he said.
Along with protecting your health, there are also ways to protect your wallet during this heat wave.
Appalachian Power Spokesperson, George Porter shared ways to avoid overloading your area’s electrical grid.
“Energy efficient is the best way to say it. Obviously, during day time, these are peak hours and now even more peak hours that the majority of us are still working from home, that’s changed. Whenever you can run washing machines and dishwashers later in the evening, earlier in the morning that does help with individual load,” he said.
The heat is expected to subside after this weekend.