The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and the National Weather Service have declared June 5, 2014 as Heat Awareness Day in Iowa. Extreme heat is a seasonal hazard in Iowa which is often underestimated. Understanding heat safety is important and can save lives.

Summertime in Iowa means two things: heat and humidity. These two weather parameters combine to create the Heat Index (Apparent Temperature), which is an accurate measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is combine with the actual air temperature. The combination of extreme heat and humidity conspire to tax the human body beyond its natural cooling abilities. Heat related deaths account for many deaths and injuries each year.

Child Safety Tips

• Make sure your child’s safety seat and safety belt buckles aren’t too hot before securing your child in a safety restraint system, especially when your car has been parked in the heat.
• Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in, on, or around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks–even at home–and keep keys out of children’s reach.
• Always make sure all children have left the car when you reach your destination. Don’t leave sleeping infants in the car eve

Adult Heat Wave Safety Tips

• Slow down. Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, seniors and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
• Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods, like meat and other proteins that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water, non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids.Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney or liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids. Do not drink alcoholic beverages and limit caffeinated beverages.
• During excessive heat periods, spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, go to a library, store or other location with air conditioning for part of the day.
• Don’t get too much sun. Sunburn reduces your body’s ability to dissipate heat.
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.

To calculate heat index, you only need two numbers: the current temperature and current relative humidity. Then return to this chart to find the current heat index on the chart below. Additionally, on the aforementioned observation page, the heat index (if there is one) will be listed on the far right side of each observation in the remarks section. The Heat Index will be prefaced with “HX”.

Heat Index Chart