Power outages worsened the impact of the heat wave
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said close to 300,000 customers lost power when storms packing wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour brought down power lines Friday evening and over the weekend.
As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, 62,000 homes and businesses were still without power.
What are heat-related illnesses?
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, adverse health conditions can occur when the body is unable to properly cool itself, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps and heat rash. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, headache, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting and muscle cramps. Symptoms of heat stroke include high body temperature, hot, dry skin with no sweating, rapid pulse, headache, slurred speech, nausea, confusion and loss of consciousness.
The Health Department says many individuals are at risk during extremely hot days, including older adults, infants and children, people without air conditioning or with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness and disabled people.
Heat safety tips
The Health Department says to prevent heat-related illness, hydration is key. In case temperatures rise again, officials are reminding residents to take shelter in shaded areas, avoid sugary, fatty foods and alcohol and strenuous activity.
Health Department officials urge people experiencing heat-related symptoms to seek shelter in a cool space or shelter and call 911 if conditions worsen.
Meteorologist Ray Martin at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said the hottest temperature measured during the heat wave, in the Central-South Jersey region, was 106 degrees at Atlantic City International Airport on July 4, which tied the all-time record set in July 2011. He said the 106-degree temperature recorded this past Saturday is being reviewed for accuracy by the National Weather Service.
Martin said several other weather stations across the region registered in the low 100s during the heat wave, which officially began on June 30.
“It’s been a while since we had heat like this,” he said. “It definitely was one of the more notable heat events that we’ve had.”
Martin said no unusual heat is predicted in the long-range forecast.
“We may hit 90 degrees by the end of the week, but for the most part temperatures should be more tame, in the 80s, which is normal for this time of year,” he said.
