If you remained unaware that summer was upon us, this weekend’s temperatures aim to clue you in.
Officials warn this is not the time to be lax in relation to the heat.
“We have a lot of people who have respiratory or heart conditions in our area so it is so important for them to not get overheated,” said Pam Doty, director of The Meeting Place senior center in Columbus.
Temperatures Saturday, June 30 are expected to reach 103 degrees with a low of just 74. The average high for the Columbus area in June is 86, with the average low at 61 degrees. Meanwhile, in the Landrum area the average high for June is 87 with the average low at 64 degrees.
Temperatures are forecasted to reach 102 degrees Friday, 103 Saturday, 100 Sunday and 96 Monday.
Area officials caution families to take particular care with elderly and children in relation to this heat wave.
Lou Parton of the Polk County Department of Social Services said it’s important for parents and caregivers to be especially vigilant.
“In the summer, we also remind all folks to stay hydrated and stay out of the heat,” Parton said.
For those who are trying to stay out of the heat but simply may not have the resources, there is a chance The Meeting Place can help. Doty said the center has given out 18 fans this year through a program administered by the Area Agency on Aging.
Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation offer money each year to provide fans to the elderly and disabled in the community who need them. Funding is limited this year; 18 fans have been given out already, but Doty said she hopes additional monies will be available later this summer to provide additional ones.
“It has been a lifesaver for a lot of people actually in years past,” she said. “We’ve been able to help quite a few people in the last 10 years. Even those that may have air conditioning in their homes, those bills are too high. Everyone is trying to keep down their electric bill in this tough economic time and remain cool.”
If you would like to be put on a list to potentially receive a fan from The Meeting Place, call 828-894-0001.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office also donates fans to those in need. Call 828-894-3001 for assistance.
Parton said DSS also works every summer to remind parents not to leave their kids in cars, which in extreme summer temperatures can be particularly dangerous.
“Some people think, ‘Oh, I’m just going to be in the store for a minute,’ but the temperatures in cars rise so quickly, and this can be just as dangerous for an elderly person as it can be for a child,” Parton said.
The North Carolina Child Fatality Prevention Team recently released a report on hyperthermia (an overheating of the body) showing as many as six children have died in North Carolina since 2008 from being left in vehicles during extreme temperatures. The report shows children exposed to extreme temperatures inside a confined motor vehicle can experience symptoms of organ failure in a short time.
Temperatures between 72 and 96 degrees outside the vehicle can increase the temperature inside the vehicle by as much as 40 degrees within one hour, the study said.
The record high temperature in North Carolina was set in August 1983, topping out at 110 degrees.