Extreme heat warning hits third day

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 | 9:14 a.m.

National Weather Service forecasters issued an extreme heat warning today -- the third day in a row. The high temperature was predicted to reach 110 degrees or higher.

Health officials warned of the dangers of the heat, trapped under a dome of still air hanging over Southern Nevada.

Wednesday's temperature peaked at 112 degrees. The record for Aug. 11 is 116 degrees, set in 1940. The average daytime high is 103 degrees for August.

University Medical Center and its Quick Care clinics reported an increase in heat-related illnesses on Wednesday.

"We've seen a bit of an increase, but nothing startling," UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.

On a normal summer day two or three patients might be seen in the emergency room or clinics, Persinger said. She said six people arrived complaining of heat, but none of the cases were life-threatening.

American Medical Response ambulance service reported two people with heat-related stress treated on Wednesday, compared with a total of 35 for the entire month.

Southwest Ambulance said it had five complaints of symptoms of heat exposure on Wednesday.

The coroner's office said no one had died Tuesday, when it was 112 degrees, or Wednesday from heat-related causes. Earlier this year the National Weather Service released a study that found between 25 and 30 deaths each year in Southern Nevada stem from heat-related causes.

Periods of such sizzling temperatures are expected to be a part the weather landscape for a while, especially in the West and South, a new study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research said. The findings appear in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Gerald Meehl and Claudia Tebaldi examined Earth's future climate, and their work indicates that heat waves will become more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting in the 21st century.

Their study shows that an increase in heat-absorbing greenhouse gases intensifies an unusual atmospheric circulation pattern already observed during heat waves in Europe and North America.

"It's the extreme weather and climate events that will have some of the most severe impacts on human society as the climate changes," Meehl said.

The worst three-day heat waves show a rise of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit in minimum nighttime temperatures in North America's West. In Las Vegas, Wednesday's low temperature was 85 degrees, when normal nighttime temperatures are in the high 70s or low 80s at this time, the Weather Service said.

Heat waves can kill more people in a shorter time than almost any other climate event, Meehl and Tebaldi said. In Chicago's heat wave of July 14-20, 1995, 739 people died. In France more than 10,000 died from heat in August 2003.

Those outside in the sunshine on Wednesday recommended several ways to beat the heat.

A 23-year resident of Las Vegas, Robert Daily, said he commutes two miles a day to his janitorial job on a bicycle.

His secret to staying cool is drinking water, lots of water.

"Just water," Daily said, eschewing sports drinks. "It's not that bad when you're moving on a bicycle. I wouldn't stand around in the heat."

David Tonelli of the Clark County Health District recommended water, juices or sports drinks such as Gatorade to protect the body from dehydration.

Rosa Sarabia of San Bernardino, Calif., recommended swimming or staying inside during the afternoon to avoid the heat.

"I'm used to the heat," she said.

"Today we went to Wal-Mart at 7 a.m. to avoid the heat," Sarabia said.

"There was no traffic," her cousin, Justina Stephens, said.

This year nine people in Las Vegas have died from exposure to heat so far, while 26 people died from heat exposure in 2002 and the same number died in 2003, the coroner's office said.

An 82-year-old woman was the most recent casualty of Southern Nevada's desert heat. Audrey Auchstetter died July 13 in her mobile home at the Jaycee Senior Citizen Community Center on Harmon Avenue. A longtime Las Vegas resident, Auchstetter had spent much of her life in California.

A coroner's autopsy report cited heat along with heart disease as the cause of death.

The day Auchstetter died, the high temperature reached 105 degrees and the dew point climbed to 56 degrees, considered normal but high, according to the weather service. The dew point is a number that measures the amount of water vapor in the air.

There was no heat warning for that day. Auchstetter did not have air conditioning, but used a swamp cooler that works best in low humidity.

On June 3 a 72-year-old homeless man, Thomas Sullivan, died on Fremont Street after the day's heat exacerbated a pre-existing heart condition, according to the coroner's office.

Clark County, several shelters and advocates for the homeless put a plan in place this summer to avoid more similar deaths.

Catholic Charities opened a daytime shelter for up to 100 men in the first week of July. Shade Tree and the Salvation Army also have daytime shelters open.

Catholic Charities opens its shelter at North Main Street and West Owens Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., ending Sept. 30. The county gave the organization about $24,000 the first month to kick off operations.

The Shade Tree shelter, in the same area downtown, is open to women and children from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

The Salvation Army serves up to 200 men and women from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day during hot summer months.

Continuing hot temperatures toppled another record for electricity usage by Las Vegas Valley consumers.

Nevada Power Co.'s record peak usage of 4,969 megawatts between 4 and 5 p.m. Wednesday exceeded the previous peak of 4,933 megwatts set on Tuesday.