When it gets hot, really hot, out here in the Mojave Desert, you can actually smell the heat. Or perhaps it is simply the absence of any distinct odor. As the air heats up, it becomes so dry that it seems the individual molecules cannot contain any hint of fragrance.
The wind, even if only 4-6 mph, reaches deep into your skin and sucks out any moisture that may still be hiding there in that elusive search for balance.
As the air warms under the unrelenting sun, the water in swimming pools quickly heats up. And while they are a great place to beat the heat, they can also fool people into thinking that dehydration cannot occur in a pool of water. It can. It does.
When you live in a hot climate, you appreciate the long flowing white robes of the Arabian peninsula, while wondering how the women survive draped in black.
But mostly you pray that the power stays on, that some idiot doesn't crash into one of the poles that line the highway, or that some raven doesn't short out a transmitter at the power substation.
Because our air becomes so dry during these heat events, most people rely on a swamp cooler, AKA evaporative cooler. These can reduce the temperature by 20 degrees by passing the air through a wet filter before blowing it through a house. Swamp coolers are inexpensive and are very cheap to run since they don't need any compressor, but only a water pump and a fan.
When the temperature gets to be 113º, which it was yesterday, or 118º which it is supposed to be today, 20 degrees doesn't seem to provide a lot of relief. Unless you are a desert denizen, accustomed to the climate.
After nineteen years here, I still prefer an air conditioner. We installed solar panels within a couple of years of buying our house in 1994, and installed another array two years ago when we put on the addition. I have two extra high efficiency air conditioners, that keep the house from getting above 80 degrees, even when it is 110º outside.
Days are planned to take advantage of the early morning and late evening hours. Anything that can be accomplished then, be it physical labor or running the dishwasher or oven is done then. (Although many turn to the barbecue for cooking this time of year) The middle of the day is spent, whenever possible, holed up in a cool place. The Mexican habit of a mid day siesta is how man dealt with the desert heat, not an excuse for a long lunch. It is a habit that most longterm residents of the desert have picked up. Trust me, there are few things as exhausting as heat. Just getting into a car that has been sitting in the sun while you run into the post office or the bank takes a lot out of you as your body struggles to deal with the superheated air in the car until movement or the A/C cools it down.
Sunscreen is a year round essential, excessive heat doesn't change this necessary safeguard. And hydration is also essential year round, making it more difficult, during a heat wave, to avoid dehydration. It is a good time to skip the iced tea (although you would need to drink a lot of it to cause further dehydration) or beer, and go with water instead. Almost every potluck I have ever attended in this area includes at least one fresh fruit salad or platter. They are especially welcome during a heat wave.
There are cooling sites set up in the towns, but the informal one has usually been the local library. The hotter the weather, the more likely you are to see people sitting in the armchairs reading magazines or newspapers. Especially the elderly. And it is the elderly, young children, the ill and the obese who are most at risk. And animals. They should never to be left in a closed car, but especially not during a heat wave. They also need to have shade and ready access to water if they are left in an enclosed yard.
But, the upside of living in a desert during an Excessive Heat Warning is that the Heat Index that seems to multiply the heat in a city like Chicago, here in Twentynine Palms, it reduces the impact. So although the temperature may read 113º, it only feels like 106º. Doesn't that just make you feel cooler already?
For information and tips on how to survive extreme heat, see:
WikiHow
CDC
FEMA
Excessive Heat Warning
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
252 PM PDT SAT JUN 29 2013
...EXTENDED PERIOD OF EXCEEDINGLY HOT TEMPERATURES THROUGH
MONDAY...
.DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE
REGION THROUGH MONDAY DUE TO A MASSIVE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS
THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. EXCESSIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY PERSIST
UNTIL AT LEAST INDEPENDENCE DAY.
...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT 8 PM
MST MONDAY FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 6000 FEET...
AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MONDAY FOR
ELEVATIONS BELOW 6000 FEET IN SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA
AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.
* EXPECTED HIGH TEMPERATURES:
LAS VEGAS (MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)...115 TO 117 MESQUITE
AND THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY...118 TO 125...PAHRUMP...111 TO 114
BARSTOW...114 TO 118... MORONGO BASIN...110 TO 115 KINGMAN...108 TO
112 BISHOP...106 TO 108 CALIENTE...105 TO 108 DEATH VALLEY...126 TO
129.
* TIMING: A PROLONGED PERIOD OF EXCESSIVE HEAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
AT LEAST MONDAY. LITTLE RELIEF IS EXPECTED AT NIGHT... ESPECIALLY
IN URBAN AREAS SUCH AS THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY WHERE LOW TEMPERATURES
NEAR THE STRIP AND DOWNTOWN MAY NOT DROP BELOW 90 DEGREES.
EXCEEDINGLY HOT TEMPERATURES MAY PERSIST THROUGH INDEPENDENCE DAY.
* GREATEST IMPACTS: THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A LIFE-
THREATENING HEAT EVENT FOR THOSE AT RISK.
A TOTAL OF 17 PEOPLE DIED FROM HEAT-RELATED CAUSES IN THE LAS VEGAS
VALLEY FROM JULY 14TH TO 23RD IN 2005...WHEN TEMPERATURES WERE
OBSERVED AT OR ABOVE 112 FROM THE 14TH TO 17TH. THE PEAK
TEMPERATURE DURING THAT PERIOD WAS 117.
CHILDREN...THE ELDERLY...AND PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC AILMENTS ARE THE
MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS. CRAMPS...HEAT
EXHAUSTION...OR IN EXTREME CASES HEAT STROKE CAN RESULT FROM
PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THESE CONDITIONS. FRIENDS... RELATIVES AND
NEIGHBORS SHOULD CHECK ON PEOPLE WHO MAY BE AT RISK.
HEAT EXHAUSTION SYMPTOMS INCLUDE NAUSEA...HEADACHES...DIZZINESS AND
PROFUSE SWEATING. TREATMENT: GET INDOORS...COOL THE BODY AND DRINK
WATER.
HEAT STROKE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE AN INCREASE IN BODY TEMPERATURE WHICH
LEADS TO DELIRIOUSNESS...UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND RED...DRY SKIN. DEATH
CAN OCCUR WHEN BODY TEMPERATURES REACH OR EXCEED 106-107 DEGREES.
TREATMENT: COOL THE BODY...SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
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.
&&
$$
ADAIR