Thursday, July 10, 2003 | 11:20 a.m.
Coping To cope with Southern Nevada's soaring temperatures, the Clark County Health D' strict and University Medical Center officials say:
The temperature may have reached 110 degrees Wednesday, but that didn't keep Karl Riley off the golf course.
A 48-year-old correctional officer, Riley braved the afternoon sun for a round at the Las Vegas Municipal Golf Club.
"You've got to love the game," Riley said. "The heat don't mean too much if you love it."
Wednesday's high didn't break the record for July 9 of 113 degrees, set in 1943, and today's expected high of 113 wasn't expected to break today's record of 114.
That was nothing to Riley, who had just returned from playing in 120-degree heat in Palm Springs. Riley said he enjoys playing in the afternoon because the course is less crowded.
He's not the only one, said Matt Cunningham, the club's tournament director.
"We cater to locals, and the locals are crazy," he said. "They come out in the heat and play anyway."
The National Weather Service predicts it will get hotter still, with record highs forecast for the weekend.
Meteorologists blamed the extreme temperatures on a dome of high pressure that hasn't budged.
The high pressure is similar to a period in late June 1994, when the Las Vegas Valley hit 115 degrees three days in a row. Laughlin and Bullhead City, Ariz., recorded highs of 120 degrees then.
The region is expected to tie or break those record highs this weekend, all except Death Valley, Calif.
Death Valley's all-time record of 134 degrees was set on July 10, 1913.
Despite the hardy souls on the golf course, the heat was taking its toll on people.
University Medical Center treated several individuals Wednesday for heat exhaustion and dehydration, UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.
"Because it's a dry heat, sweat evaporates so you don't realize you are sweating," Persinger said. That can be dangerous.
So can broiling heat from car door handles and black asphalt.
"We see a lot of burn victims, too," Persinger said.
A month ago a man was treated at UMC's burn unit for second-degree burns on the soles of his feet, she said.
In addition to the oppressive heat, the air pollutant ozone was on the rise Wednesday.
Clark County Air Quality specialist Femi Durosinmi said that while a health advisory was not issued on Wednesday for ozone, a mixture of vehicle exhaust cooked by sunlight, health officials are keeping a close watch on the levels of ozone over the next few days.
Ozone affects the breathing of young children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems.
So is there any relief from rain in sight?
The last measurable rainfall occurred on May 7, when 0.01 of an inch fell.
That put the Las Vegas Valley 0.44 of an inch ahead of normal rain for this time of year at 2.86 inches. The average is 2.42 inches.
Typically Southern Nevada at this time of year receives a blanket of warm, moist air from the Gulf of California known as the Southwest monsoon.
Desert Research Institute scientist David Mitchell said earlier this summer it appeared that heavy rains, similar to those that flooded the valley in July 1999, could occur.
However, this week the Gulf of California's waters actually cooled down by three degrees, so the promise of rain has evaporated for now.
Colette Delery, 20, found another way to keep a group of youngsters cool during outside playtime at Desert Breeze Community Center. She led the children in a game of "Duck, Duck, Squirt," similar to Duck, Duck, Goose, but wetter.
Delery said the children are allowed outside only once or twice a day when the weather is so hot, and when they are outside, water is key to keeping them safe and happy.
"They would complain if they weren't getting soaking wet," she said.
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