Heat wave strikes Bay Area

"In a severe heatwave you may get dehydrated and your body may overheat, leading to heat exhaustion or heatstroke," the department states in a recently released report.

Both conditions need immediate treatment or there could be serious consequences - including death. It's important for everyone to drink enough fluids and to stay alert of symptoms of heat-related illnesses, but some risk groups should take extra precautions to stay cool.

Seniors 65 and older and children 4 and younger, for example, might not realize they are dehydrated and need help, said Sharolyn Kriger, an administrator at Carlmont Gardens Nursing Center in Belmont. Additionally, those groups as well as people who use drugs and alcohol or have chronic illnesses have weakened immune systems and are therefore more susceptible to heat illnesses.

Debra Nissing, a nurse at San Mateo Medical Center, advises people to drink two to three more glasses of water than the usually recommended eight per day. Parents could substitute water for energy drinks, smoothies or other fruit drinks to encourage sufficient hydration of their children, who might be reluctant to consume large amounts of water, Nissing said.

Both risk groups should avoid heavy, dark clothing preferably opting for light, loose-fitting wear, Kriger said.

The nursing center implemented both general and emergency measures to ensure the well-being of its residents during sweaty days, she said.

For example, nurses pass out lemonade and popsicles every two hours and encourage seniors to stay in air-conditioned rooms.

The nursing center is legally required to keep temperatures between 72 and 82 degrees, above which heat could become a concern, Kriger said.

During an emergency situation, staff members carry out certain cooling methods, such as removing the residents' clothes and placing cool towels or packs of ice on arms and other body parts.

Some symptoms of heat exhaustion to look out for include heavy sweating, pale skin, rapid pulse, shallow respiration, muscle cramping, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, weakness and fainting.

"If left untreated, heat exhaustion will lead to heat stroke," Kriger said. "Within minutes, the body temperature can reach 106 degrees or higher and can cause death or permanent disability."

Other signs of heat stroke are red-hot skin, no sweating, rapid and strong pulse, throbbing headache, confusion and unconsciousness.

San Mateo reached a high of 77 degrees yesterday and is expected to return to about the same tomorrow after a brief cooling off period, down four degrees to 73 today, said Diana Henderson, a metrology technician at San Francisco Bay Area Weather Forecast Office.

The temperature is about five to six degrees higher than normal for the July season, Henderson said.

She attributed the heat wave to a warm flow of air coming from land rather than sea, which typically brings cooler winds.