NEWBURYPORT – Massachusetts residents are rushing to beaches, pools and air conditioned areas early this week as a result of the hot, humid weather facing the state.
Caitlyn Mensch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston/Norton office, said while the summer often brings high temperatures, this heat is not typical.
“As many people have been saying, it’s summer, it’s supposed to be hot, right? You definitely can call this hot, but what this pattern really is that it’s abnormally hot,” she said.
Mensch said the abnormal temperatures caused the National Weather Service to issue an extreme heat warning.
“It’s a message that this is abnormal heat and if precautions aren’t taken and it’s not taken seriously, people could actually potentially be impacted negatively,” Mensch said.
Mensch said the heat stems from a weather phenomenon involving high pressure.
“Global warming is more of a larger scale pattern. So, really, what the main thing that contributes to this pattern itself is that we actually have what we call a very abnormally strong ridge of high pressure that is across our area. Things like these can happen, but they’re definitely not common,” she said.
Recently, residents have been able to enjoy breezes to cool them down on hot days, but Mensch said that relief would not be available going into Tuesday.
“We’re not going to have sea breezes to keep it cool further east in the Boston metro or even in Newburyport. It’s going to be hot, we’re going to be seeing temperatures in the upper 90s and even 100s in some of these places,” she said.
These high temperatures can cause more than an inconvenience, the weather can prove dangerous for those who do adequately prepare.
“You can end up getting things like heat stroke or any form of what they call heat illness, heat stroke or even things like heat exhaustion if you’re not taking proper precautions,” she said.
Carey Lambert, the Newburyport Health Department’s public health nurse said heat exhaustion can result from overexposure to high temperatures, but can be solved with rest, hydration and staying out of the sun.
However, Lambert said if after taking all the aforementioned steps, you do not begin to heal, heat stroke may develop,
“If that doesn’t make you feel better, then you may start to experience some of the signs of heat stroke, which are those same symptoms, but they won’t subside. And, at that point, you should go to the emergency room or get out to the urgent care center,” he said.
Humans are not the only ones at risk due to the hot weather, Lambert said dog owners should be cautious with where they walk their pets during hot days.
“The ground, specifically the pavement, it’s very hot this time of year, with this kind of heat, and to limit your pets walking to areas that are grassy and keep them off the pavement as much as possible,” he said.
To beat the heat Mensch said people should find a place to cool down, such as local cooling centers.
“Make sure you have a location you have access to that has any time of cooling or air conditioning to make sure you get any relief,” she said.
For those looking for areas to cool down locally, the Newburyport Public Library Street is open Monday and Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Newburyport Senior/Community Center is open Monday and Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and The Salvation Army in Newburyport is open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.