Authorities issued heat warnings mid-week, fearful that the combination of temperatures in the mid-90s — nearly 10 degrees among the average for the month of August — combined with humidity running from 65 to nearly 80 percent could mean trouble for those spending a little too much time outside.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
The extreme heat throughout the community recently has impacted many activities and, in the case of businesses like Lord’s Landscaping in Millville, some work activities.
As mid-day arrived Tuesday, inland areas peaked at a heat index of more than 100 degrees for the “feels like” combination of the two weather factors, while coastal towns enjoyed a breeze off the ocean and dealt with bright sun that boosted apparent temperatures and relative misery to a mere 95.
Wednesday arrived with even higher temperatures and stronger warnings about taking care in the weather, as the heat wave took its first casualties in the region. With highs forecast to reach nearly 100 degrees inland and heat indexes up to 110 degrees, the heat was one everyone’s mind to one degree or another.
Though she enjoyed more pleasant weather than some area workers, thanks to the enjoyable surroundings right on the shore in Bethany Beach, Kim Brown said Tuesday that she was taking steps to make sure the weather didn’t get the better of her.
“I’m drinking lots of fluids,” the Steens Beach Service employee said as she worked a shady umbrella into the sand, comfortably dressed in a bikini. Brown said the mid-day heat hadn’t noticeably boosted rentals of the umbrellas at her stand right off the town’s boardwalk, but the beach was filled with those seeking shelter in the shade of cabanas, umbrellas and the boardwalk’s shadow.
Up above them, on the boardwalk itself, Nicholos Bonomo, 3, and his father, Phil, of Silver Spring, Md., aimed to tackle the heat of the day with in sweet style. Nicholas, on a week of vacation, was enjoying some vanilla ice cream in the sun and couldn’t spare a word for the Coastal Point while there was still sweet relief to be had.
Ann McMahon, a parking enforcement officer for Bethany Beach who spent most of Tuesday manning the change booth at the beach end of Garfield Parkway, said she’d gotten used to such heat and had some advice for those outside on such a day.
“You do have to train yourself to some degree,” she said, advising people to drink lots of water and plan ahead when hot, humid weather is looming.
“I have my fan,” she said, showing off a small hand-held model just a little large than an iPod. “I have my cooler.”
“You have to prepare a little bit,” McMahon advised, offering previously dampened and still slightly frozen paper towel to help relieve the worst of the heat.
“You have to keep a positive attitude,” she said. “It will get better.
“Then Christmas will get here and we’ll wonder why we were complaining about August,” she added with a laugh.
Inland, the heat and humidity did affect work for some. Lord’s Landscaping in Millville, where most of the heavy labor is done outside, closed early on Tuesday. The business’ advertising sign on Route 26 said the 2 p.m. closure was due to the heat.
Softball players, parents, coaches, volunteers and members of the media covering the 2007 Little League Softball World Series in Roxana also suffered in the heat mid-week, but they kept on playing, with plenty of beverages available.
Despite the weather and swaths of trees that kept an ocean breeze from providing much relief, workers at South Bethany Town Hall also kept right on with the construction of the new town hall building, raising walls in the mid-day heat.
Town officials also appeared little bothered by the weather, with Police Chief Joe Deloach striding outside in full-length pants in the noontime heat and humidity on Tuesday to take in the progress next door. Councilman Jay Headman was even spotted riding his bicycle through his Cat Hill neighborhood, and its comparative shade, and out onto the sunny roads to the west.
Meanwhile, as temperatures climbed close to 100 degrees, AAA Mid-Atlantic issued an advisory to motorists, following on McMahon’s advice to prepare, and asking them to be aware of the effects of heat on passengers, pets, vehicles and drivers. Excessive heat is especially dangerous for vehicles, children, older people and pets, AAA officials noted.
“High heat is a car killer, and with each successive hot day, more cars will experience breakdowns, since heat damage is cumulative,” warned Catherine L. Rossi, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
“Motorists should take this heat extremely seriously since it is also a danger to their health and safety,” Rossi warned. “Motorists who break down on the side of the road — especially in the afternoon rush hour — put themselves and other drivers at risk.”
AAA offered some motor vehicle safety tips for times of high heat:
• Be mindful of the affect of heat on children, older people & pets when traveling distances and never leave people or pets in parked vehicles.
• Carry extra drinking water in your vehicle.
• Avoid driving in the heat of the day and afternoon rush hour.
• If you must drive in rush hour, allow much more space between you and the car ahead to minimize your car’s intake of the hot exhaust from that vehicle.
• Check your battery, which is especially at risk in high heat. Weak batteries will fail as temperatures soar.
• Have a trained automotive technician check your car for its high-heat-worthiness.
• Check belts, hoses and tires — critical rubber parts are prone to cracks and leaks in extreme heat.
• Check the cooling system for adequate coolant, strong hoses and good working order.
• Have the oil checked and changed. As temperatures soar, oil gets thinner and doesn’t lubricate as well. Having newer, cleaner oil in the engine helps ensure maximum lubrication for severely taxed engines.
Though the mid-week heat and humidity was taxing on cars and those stuck outside away from a cool breeze, temperatures were forecast to drop back into the average range for August by the end of the week, peaking in the mid-80s and accompanied by lower humidity, along with the continuing potential for late summer thunderstorms to help cool things down.
While caution was the watchword for those heading or working outside during the heat wave, for most of those enjoying the week in the Bethany Beach area, this week’s heat wave turned out to be just another set of great beach days — especially for those who came prepared or could find a little ice cream for sweet relief.