The National Weather Service warned some of the highest heat indexes for the region so far this summer may come ahead of Independence Day.
July 3 temperatures will climb near or over 90 degrees throughout most areas south of I-78, Mount Holly station reports, including just about all of Delaware. Heat index, or the combination of heat and humidity leading to more dangerous heat, could be as high as 96 today in Wilmington, 98 in Dover and 91 in Bethany Beach.
“Be sure to drink plenty of water if you spend a lot of time outdoors today,” the station tweeted in Monday’s early hours. This meets a severe weather outlook issued for this region, as heat and humidity continue to help fuel possible thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.
“Keep an eye on the weather today!” NWS cautioned Monday.
And it won’t end there.
Wilmington temperatures, paired with high humidity and the continued chance for thunderstorms, are expected to crawl close to 90 yet again this week — high of 88 on the Fourth of July, then remaining over or near 90 into Friday. Humidity will continue to make it “feel” hotter.
Rehoboth Beach can expect high of 85 on the holiday, isolated thunderstorms still possible, with highs remaining pretty consistent moving into the week. Up in the center of the state, Dover can expect a similar chance of scattered thunderstorms with a high of 89 Tuesday, while daytime heat sticks around into Friday.
With high heat indexes on the horizon, people should keep in mind ways to beat the heat.
These higher temps can put your health at risk — elevating risks of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, various respiratory issues and other diseases. Children, older adults, people who work outside, people with underlying health conditions and anyone with limited access to cooling are particularly at risk.
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What can I do?
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day and evening. Bring it along with you if you leave the house. Keep a close eye on children, babies and older adults, ensuring they stay hydrated. Pets also need cool places and water to drink.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as both of these substances promote dehydration.
- Avoid the sun and strenuous activities as much as possible, during hours of peak heat index, often in the early afternoon.
- Cool as much of the body’s surface as possible — taking a cold bath, using ice towels on the face, hands or feet, cooling with a fan.
- Check in with friends and family, especially if they don’t have efficient AC.
- Wear light-colored, lightweight clothes and open shoes.
- Sleep cool, too. Use cotton linen; sleep as low to the ground as possible.
- Inside, keep electric lights turned down and avoid using the oven.
- Close curtains to reduce heat passing through the home.
New Castle County has various places to cool down without a price tag, from community centers to libraries, though there are no official cooling centers in the Wilmington area.
For Delaware’s largest city, First Street research warns of more than a 50-50 chance of at least one heat wave lasting more than three days of temperatures “feeling like” 103 degrees this summer. Last season brought several. In 30 years, the likelihood jumps to 77% in Wilmington.
This state is tied with Arizona as the fourth-fastest warming state, according to DNREC.
People can certainly adapt to hotter weather, but doing so will require many who haven’t dealt with severe heat to consider and plan for it.
What has been in the works locally?
- The Wilmington area is set to execute heat mapping this summer in partnership with NOAA — capturing, block-to-block, just who carries the brunt of heat’s unequal burden. Neighborhoods are no strangers to “urban heat island effect,” where temperatures intensify among dark surfaces and few trees.
- Advocates have come together to create “Code Orange” — a network of unofficial cooling centers throughout the city to flex during peak hours of heat index, or combined heat and humidity, during an extremely hot day or a string of days — for populations facing homelessness in both Wilmington and Newark.
- A Delaware Resiliency Hub has kicked off in Northeast Wilmington, planning to coordinate cooling centers and resource efforts throughout the city focused in part on heat preparedness.
- State Democrats also passed legislation to reduce greenhouse gas net emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach a 100% net reduction by 2050 this session, as previously reported. This requires the state to write a new climate action plan in line with these goals.
Have a story to tell? Delaware Online/The News Journal is placing a special emphasis on reporting about heat impact this summer, as part of an ongoing Perilous Course project with USA TODAY Network. Contact this reporter at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.
