Feeling dizzy? Watch for these warning signs during South Florida’s heat wave
South Florida is sizzling, and it’s not even summer yet.
The forecast is calling for a hot and sunny weekend, with temperatures in the low 90s stretching through the week — and it could feel like 100 in some parts of South Florida.
Now’s your chance to visit the beach, play sports, walk and have fun in the sun. But be careful out there.
The hotter it is, the higher the risk for blistering rashes, painful sunburns, muscle cramps and more severe heat-related illnesses.
South Florida isn’t under a heat advisory or extreme heat warning yet. But the region is heading into “one of the hottest stretches of the year,” according to CBS News Miami. And based on the expected upcoming temperatures, the risk for heat stroke could be high.
Infants and kids younger then 4, people 65 and older, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions or who take certain medications are typically at higher risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke, experts say. But it can happen to anyone, especially in Florida, which leads the nation in the number of reported heat-related illnesses.
What temperature can cause heat stroke?
The highest risk of developing heat stroke is when feel-like temperatures are more than 90 degrees, Dr. Bilal Bangash, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Bayhealth in Dover, Delaware, told the American Medical Association in a blog post.
As a reminder, South Florida’s actual temperature for the weekend and through the rest of the upcoming week is forecast to have have highs in the low-90s. Forecasters say feel-like temperatures “could climb into the 100s” in portions of the region.
Whether a person experiences heat-related illnesses when it’s really hot outside depends on how hot their body gets. And this could depend on when they go outside, for how long, if they have any medical conditions, take certain medications, and if they’re hydrated.
What are symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke?
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke share similar symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, headache and nausea, although heat stroke is more severe and needs hospitalization.
Here are other common symptoms that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you should watch for:
▪ Heat exhaustion: Heavy sweating; cold, pale and clammy skin; a fast and weak pulse; fainting.
▪ Heat stroke: Hot, red, dry or damp skin; a high body temperature of 103 or higher; confusion; a fast and strong pulse; fainting.
How to treat heat illness?
Lightheadedness is often a common symptom when people begin to overheat.
If you start feeling lightheaded or dizzy,”the best thing for you is to not stay in the heat and drink water; the best thing is for you to get out of the heat” and go somewhere with air-conditioning, said Dr. Hany Atallah, chief medical officer at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
If you can’t get out of the heat, look for shade, sit down and drink cold water or sports drinks to try and cool yourself down, he said.
The Mayo Clinic recommends contacting your doctor if symptoms worsen or don’t improve within one hour.
“What happens is, once you get to a point where you’re so extreme with heat-related illness, it can become very, very dangerous, very quickly,” said Dr. David Mishkin of Baptist Health South Florida. He’s Baptist’s assistant medical director of ER and medical director of Baptist Care on Demand telehealth services.
“If you’re with someone who has heat exhaustion, seek immediate medical help if they become confused or distressed, lose consciousness, or are unable to drink,” the Mayo Clinic said. “If their core body temperature ... reaches 104 or higher, they need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention.”
How to avoid heat-related illness?
▪ Wear loose and light-colored clothing.
▪ Hydrate. Drink cold water, sports drinks and juice. While a cold beer or pina colada by the pool or on a boat might feel refreshing, alcohol is actually dehydrating.
▪ Wear sunscreen and wear a hat to help protect your skin. Not only are sunburns painful, the red blotches increase your body’s temperature, making you more prone to heat. Sunburns also increase your risk of skin cancer.
▪ Exercise and play sports outdoors in the early morning or later in the evening to avoid the hottest weather.
“You may have to modify some lifestyle changes during this time of year,” Mishkin said. “Be careful, limit alcohol intake, dress appropriately, be a little bit more cautious with your physical activity. Exercise and being outdoors is a good thing — sports and recreation — but be smart about how you do it.”
Some of the information is from a 2023 Miami Herald article.
