ROANOKE, Va. – Feeling like you’re melting faster than a popsicle in a sauna? Southwest Virginia is cooking up temperatures hotter than a sidewalk fry-up!
We are already feeling the summer temperatures in full force.
Malinda Blevins said her schedule has already had to change because of the scorching sun.
“I go out and work in the yard early before the sun gets to that part of the yard, and I water late at night. At 9, I’m out there watering,” Blevins said.
Doctors emphasize the importance of staying hydrated and taking breaks in the shade to prevent heat-related illnesses.
“It’s one of those things if you are just a little bit hot from playing outside on a hot day, then you can take the time to get into the shade, cool down, get a drink and then get back to normal,” Tanya Trevilian, manager for Pediatric Trauma Services at Carilion Roanoke Memorial, said.
It’s good to know the signs of heat exhaustion to keep you and your family safe because if you don’t cool down, it could turn into a heat stroke.
“We get hot. We get sweaty. We get irritable, and these are some things that kind of just start the process, and if we continue to play, we are just going to keep getting hotter,” Trevilian said.
For one family, they tried going to a Roanoke playground, but it didn’t last long.
“Oh, 15 to 20 minutes. Maybe a little longer. It’s on top of the hill, so it’s just too hot,” Blevins said.
So, they found a sweet way to cool off.
“And now we are here to get Hawaiian ices to cool off,” Blevins said.
People are feeling the heat now, but for some, they see this as a sneak peek of what’s to come.
“August worries me more than July. I’m worried about August, but we joined the Y, so we go swimming, and just stay inside when it gets too hot,” Blevins said.