Heat Related Illness And Deaths Throughout Nevada, Southwest
It’s a known fact that it’s going to get hot in the desert southwest come the summer time. But this summer has gone from 0-100 almost overnight.
After a mild start, Las Vegas tied the record Sunday for most consecutive days at or above 110 degrees. The Phoenix area broke their record. So far in July, several stories of heat-related illness and deaths have hit the news.
71-year-old Steve Curry was hiking Death Valley National Park last week. The park, west of Pahrump, is home to some of the hottest temperatures on Earth. Steve came across a reporter for the Los Angeles Times and was asked why he decided to hike on a day with such hot temperatures. “Why do I do it? Why not,” he told the reporter. He died hours later just as he ended his hike.
Only a couple weeks earlier, a man passed away in his car at the same national park, likely due to heat exposure. A day before that, a woman died after falling unconscious on a hike in the Grand Canyon. Two women were found dead at Valley Of Fire State Park this past weekend for a cause that is still under investigation. Another man was hospitalized this weekend for a likely heat related illness at Cowabunga Canyon.
The stories seem to be coming in a blistering clip this month, and it’s enough to warrant a refresher on how to stay cool this time of year.
How can you stay safe from heat related illness in Southern Nevada?
First things first: limit your exposure. “It’s a dry heat” is a common refrain, but it is incredibly dangerous to have prolonged exposure to the sun and heat. The National Park Service suggests avoiding hiking altogether on incredibly hot days after 10 a.m. Heat stroke can slowly take over, increasing your body temperature north of 104 degrees.
Hydration is also incredibly necessary. The dry climate means you’re less likely to realize how parched you are. Make sure you are traveling with a bottle of water whether on hikes or on your daily commute. You could be one breakdown away from needing water. Don’t over-hydrate (there is such a thing) but for desert hikes, a liter of water per hour seems to be a good rule of thumb.
What you wear is important as well. The darker your clothing, the more heat it retains. Wear lightweight and loose clothing, the lighter colored the better. Dark clothing is more likely to “soak in” the heat, while whites and near-white clothing is more likely to reflect it.
It is easy to forget how dangerous the summer heat can be. But with stories hitting the headlines as much as they have, it is better to be safe than sorry.
