Sign  at the visitor center of Arches National Park  - Utah
photo by Jonathan Schechter

The park rangers at Arches National Park near Moab, Utah do not pull any punches, our hold back when it comes to hot weather, heat emergencies and human foolishness. They make it clear to hikers with enough sanity to stop in at the visitor center that without enough water and constant hydration and rational behavior you may die on a hike. And their informational sign tells it like it is!

Oakland County is heading for the 100 degree mark Thursday and if you wait until you don't feel well, or are deyhdrated, you are already on the slippery slope to one of the heat maladies that may quickly morph into a life threatening emegency. A six-pack is not hydration.  Water is. Today would be a perfect day to be a pond turtle paddling under shady lily pads or a 13-lined ground squirrel keeping cool in its burrow.  Enough said by me. The rest is from the National Weather Service.
Excessive Heat Warning

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY...

.A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAINTAIN
THE PROLONGED STRETCH OF VERY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS OVER
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES
WILL MAKE A RUN TOWARD 100 DEGREES IN THE DETROIT AREA THURSDAY
AND WILL AT LEAST REACH THE MID 90S AS FAR NORTH AS THE TRI CITIES
AND NORTHERN THUMB. SOUTHWEST WINDS SUPPORTING VERY HUMID
CONDITIONS WILL BOOST HEAT INDEX VALUES ABOVE 100 DEGREES...WITH
PEAK VALUES FROM 105 TO 110 DEGREES THURSDAY. CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF
HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY WITH LIMITED RELIEF AT NIGHT WILL BRING
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. THE
HEAT WAVE THIS WEEK IS EXPECTED TO BE OF THE LONGEST DURATION
SINCE JULY OF 1995.


IMPACTS...

 * A PROLONGED PERIOD OR CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF HEAT CAN CAUSE A
   CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF HEAT STRESS TO SEGMENTS OF THE
   POPULATION.

 * THOSE PRONE TO HEAT STRESS MAY SUFFER HAZARDS TO HEALTH...
   ESPECIALLY WHEN SHADE OR AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT AVAILABLE.

 * STRENUOUS OUTDOOR ACTIVITY MAY LEAD TO HEAT INJURIES SUCH AS
   HEAT STROKE...HEAT EXHAUSTION...OR HEAT CRAMPS.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

 * THE HOTTEST STRETCH OF THIS HEAT WAVE WILL IMPACT SOUTHEAST
   MICHIGAN THURSDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB
   INTO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 90S...WITH TEMPERATURES POTENTIALLY
   REACHING 100 DEGREES ON THURSDAY.

 * VERY MOIST AIR WILL REMAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN DURING
   THIS TIME. THIS WILL KEEP THE HUMIDITY HIGH THROUGH THE
   PERIOD.

 * THE COMBINATION OF HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL CAUSE HEAT INDEX
   VALUES TO CLIMB BETWEEN 105 AND 110 DEGREES ON THURSDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

 * TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS...IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE.
   WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY
   MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT
   EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE
   FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.

 * TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK...THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
   AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST
   BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE
   OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED
   LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY  -CALL 911.

(On a personal note I am working a 12 hour shift Thursday as a paramedic in a busy urban hospital emergency department.  The day will be interesting----for all emergency departments, firefighters and medics.)