Heat Wave Continues Thursday In San Diego County

San Diego and say they are going to the beach and taking lots of showers or sleeping in the nude. How are you surviving this heat wave? The California climate change bill drops a plan to reduce gasoline consumption. This is KPBS midday edition. I am Maureen Cavanaugh. It is Thursday, September 10. Here are some of the stories we are following on the KPBS newsroom. San Diego blood bank has put out a call for type O blood. Especially oh negative. This is a critically needs this. A holiday weekend, and an end flux is responsible for the shortage. San Diego gas and electric is keeping its incentive program for reduced power use in effect today. Those willing to give their air-conditioners and other appliances a break during heat waves can earn bill credits. Meantime, customers are asked to cut back until six tonight. Combined, the heat and humidity have led to a shortened school day for students in the Coronado unified school District. Classes will be dismissed at 1230. A preliminary review of the San Diego Police Department's body camera program, suggest that they help reduced use officers use of force in the field. The findings are based on data from three of the departments nine divisions, over the program's first year. Listen for the latest news through the day right here on KPBS. Our top story on the day edition, is that the good news from forecasters is that the cooling strength -- trend should start tomorrow the heat advisory expand -- expires tonight. It is an incredibly hot days San Diego. The reading is currently 89°. It is also humid. Thunderstorms are expected in the East County, and showers could pop up close to the coast. Longtime San Diego ends are scratching their heads trying to remember when, or if it was ever so hot and humid for so long. We're opening up the phone lines today. We want to hear from you. Tellis, how have you been getting through this heat wave? Do you have air-conditioning? Are you keeping your child home from a non-air-conditioned school? Call us and let us know at 188 Do you have air-conditioning? Are you keeping your child home from a non-air-conditioned school? Call us and let us know at 1888 Do you have air-conditioning? Are you keeping your child home from a non-air-conditioned school? Call us and let us know at 188-8895 Do you have air-conditioning? Are you keeping your child home from a non-air-conditioned school? Call us and let us know at 1-888-895-5727. First, we are joined by meteorologists Alex at the National Weather Service at San Diego. Alex looking to the program. Things for having me on. Where is this hot weather coming from? It seems like it is coming from Florida. The tropical moisture from Kevin and Linda, former hurricanes in the Pacific. The combination of the regular monsoon flow that comes up from the south. The two combine forces and we are feeling the brunt of it now. Most remarkable was last night low temperatures. That has an accumulative impact. Last night, we did not drop below 75°. Your house can cool off and you cannot call off. It feels like you hit a wall when you walk outside. Why is it still hot at night? It is the moisture. When you have this type of moisture, it is called dewpoint temperatures. When you have this war moisture that comes up, you cannot cool off at night because the temperatures cannot get lower than that. The moist air can inhibit the nighttime temperatures. And makes it more miserable in the daytime. We call it the heat index. It magnifies the normal temperatures. When we say it is a dry heat, we are not headed -- kidding. Only say it is a moist heat, we're not kidding. It is a muggy feeling. Alex, typically in the San Diego summer, we see the monsoonal moisture come up from Mexico. Those thunderstorms are usually in the East County Mountains. They move toward Arizona. Why are we getting so much of this humidity so close to the coast? What has happened, is the circulation that is created with these hurricanes, actually draw in the winds. We no longer are able to blow the weeds from East to West. We cannot get the cooler ocean temperatures. When you bring in the air from the east, you are bringing the air to the source region. On top of that, our ocean temperatures are really warm as well. They were warm before this arrived. We have a double whammy going on with the warm ocean temperatures. The temperatures at nighttime are not able to drop below when we have the winds coming in from the east with the monsoon air. Is it unusually hot? It has been all along. San Francisco was up in the 90s yesterday. That cannot be from Baja right? This time of year, we have to remember that this is unique to our climate in California. The coastal part of California -- our warmest time of year is actually September. Typically we attribute that to Santa Anna winds. The Santa Anna winds are dry. Usually we have a winds coming in from the east that is very moist and humid. Up in San Francisco, part of it is the warm ocean temperatures. I want to remind our listeners, that we are taking your calls about the heat and how you are getting through it. Our number is 188 I want to remind our listeners, that we are taking your calls about the heat and how you are getting through it. Our number is 1888 I want to remind our listeners, that we are taking your calls about the heat and how you are getting through it. Our number is 1-888-895-5727. I want to talk a little bit more about the warm ocean temperature. We have done segments that show about the warm lop of water off our coast. Is that having an effect on the weather that we are feeling now? Is that a causal element? I think -- I think you can blame a little bit on the so-called blob. I think we have seen it warm up dramatically since 2013. That really increases the humidity and affects our ocean temperatures. That water makes it appear like it has the last month or so. We cannot blame El Niño. That unusual warm water is making a nighttime temperature warmer. When you get the monsoon swell and it brings it to the beach, you get double the impact. It is not necessarily the rock temperature. We can get up 200° this time a year. Even in October because of the Santa Ana's. It is the combination of the increased moisture. The moisture where we live, down in the low levels. We are used to coming off the ocean. Alex, I hope you can hang on with us. I want to come back to in a few minutes. Before let you go, please give us an idea when the heat will subside. The good news, a lot of us are in for -- are fortunate to have air-conditioning. We're not going to see a dramatic drop in the temperatures, the we will see eight slow decrease as we go through the weekend. By the time we get to Sunday and Monday, it will be a welcome relief. Instead of feeling the tropical air, we will start to slowly build the seabreeze back and feel the air off the coast. As I say, Alex, I will be back to you. Once again, I want to let our listeners know that we are taking your calls. We have had some responses on our webpage about that. One of our listeners said, good old-fashioned fans. Another said lots and lots of cold showers. Another response was from a woman that has no air-conditioning. We have to keep our windows open and two fans going and sleep naked. I am sure peeping toms are getting a free show all over town. If you would like to share your experiences with us our number is 888-895-5727. 20 me now, is Dr. Pavin -- joining me now, is Dr. Pepin. He is a County officer and also we have Leslie. Dr. Pepin, the heat we are experiencing is described as dangerous. Who is most at risk? The human body is a fascinating thing. What is concerning, is that our bodies have to work much harder to compensate and stay cool during extreme heat. The people most at risk are the youngest and the oldest. The infants and young children, as well as the elderly. Also those with chronic medical diseases, which are likely to be older. There are a lot of people -- you material from your colleagues as well, who do not have air-conditioning in their homes. For many years, the idea was you do not need air-conditioning in San Diego. Fans do not do much good during this heat do they? You are right. Fans are great, because they help with air circulation. During these times with extreme heat, you really want air-conditioning. They reduce your body's core temperature and keep it normal. Really, we want to try to get into areas which are air-conditioned. Even if it is just for a couple hours to give your body a break. We have heard of people who go to stores and shopping centers to cool off. Also, the movies. Driving around in air-conditioned cars to get a break from the heat. What else would you advise? The county has several cool zones. We have over hundred and 50. They are literally around the county. The sites are mostly libraries, community centers etc. If you go to cool zones.org, it is interactive. You can look up where the closest cool zone is. You can see what hours they are open. We are often asked at times of dangerous heat to check on people. Check on your neighbors, and perhaps elderly people that you know. If we do, and we find that the person is perhaps struggling or not feeling well, is there a way to get the County to provide transportation to a cool zone? I am not aware about transportation to a cool zone, but I do agree with your first point that this is a time to come together and engage that spirit of community and look out for our neighbors, especially the elderly. Definitely look out for them. If you see there are signs, such as heat exit -- exhaustion, there are things you can do. Heat exhaustion is heavily sweating, weakness, cold skin or a weak pulse. You want to help them immediately lay down in a cool place and Lucent their clothing and get a cool cloth. Give them water and call a healthcare provider. What is more urgent, any true medical emergency, is a heat stroke. At that point, you want to call 911. While you are waiting for them to come -- this looks like someone who has difficulty thinking clearly. They have a high body temperature, upwards of 106° and they are hot and have dry skin. They may have a rapid poll's or be unconscious. You want to move them to a cooler environments, put ice packs or a cool bath. Will the body down. Exactly. Cool them down until professional help arrives. As I said, we are taking calls from our listeners. We have Cantin from La Mesa. Thank you for having me. What have you been doing to beat the heat? I live in my car right now. I have been going into stores that are nearby and I carry a bandanna with me. I saw in the Westerns, that they used to get them wet and put it around the neck. They put it by the jugular vein to pull down faster. I think that's a great idea. Allie is calling from San Diego. I've been drinking lots of cold brew coffee. I just arrived at my friends house who has air-conditioning to do my laundry. If your friends have air-conditioning and you do not, now is the time to get close to those friends. Let me bring Leslie into the conversation. She is a veterinary me -- veterinarian. Lots of people think that animals instinctively know how to survive during a heat wave. Is that true? Not necessarily. We have to remember that there are similarities that we have with dogs in these situations. They are overheated to. There are specific differences. One being, dogs cool themselves differently than we do. They do not sweat like we do. They can only release the excessive heat through panting. The way that their body works to cool themselves off is different. We need to make sure that we recognize the differences in their pets and their needs for calling off differently. Exactly right. We saw a tragic story tweeted yesterday about a dog that died of heat stroke at Mission trails Park. People know enough, I would imagine, to curtail activity at times of dangerous heat conditions. What kind of precautions do you need to take for animals? You need to take your dog out for a walk. Are there special things you need to take into consideration when is so hot? Absolutely. Make sure the ground that they are walking on is not too hot for their paws. Reached down and touched the ground. If the back of your hand cannot withstand touching the ground for a couple seconds, then it is too hot for your dog. Another thing, the best time of day to do it. Early in the morning and's late in the evening. Early in the morning and late in the evening. They do not need to go for dogs with us or height. Really limit the time, because it is not necessary at this point for them to overexert themselves. Do you advise people who have air-conditioning to leave it on for their indoor pets? At this time, I do. If you are lucky enough to take your pet to work, that is fantastic. If you have to leave them at home, make sure the home is as cool as it can be. If you do not have air-conditioning, make sure that it is well ventilated. Make sure the pets have access to circulating air, a window open perhaps, and plenty of fresh water. They need access to move around. Find the most covetable place in the house for them. I want to move from pets to school kids if I may. Some kids are not going to school today. What is the health department view on kids going to unconditioned schools? Generally, we like to have folks and air-conditioned areas. You need to maintain your core body temperature at a certain level. Air-conditioning helps most do that job. As much as possible, if anyone has to be in an environment where they do not have access to an air conditioner, patients try -- they should try to stay hydrated. Where lights, loose fitted clothing. If they have to go outside, we recommend that they try to take as many breaks as possible. Try to be in shaded areas and stay hydrated with fluids that do not dehydrate you. Not alcohol -- I know your listener mentioned copy, -- copy, but it can dehydrate you. There are things like coconut water and sports drinks that have a better electrolyte balance to keep you hydrated. Let me take another caller. The tour area? We may have lost Victoria. She said go to the library. Alex, welcome back. Hello everyone. Is there any way to tell, if this is the last tropical heatwave of the season. Or is there going to be more hot weather? I think at this time of year, it tends to be the warmest time for us. This is when our ocean temperatures are at their peak I would say we should expect more heat waves this fall, before we start feeling the influence of cooler conditions. That said, you are right. Typically, by mid-September, it is the last time we see these intense heat waves that are accompanied by tropical air. Let's cross our fingers, that it is the last one with the tropical air. We are used to the Santa and as in the fall. That is a typical time for that condition. This kind of months Sunol -- monsoonal heat. Both are dangerous and have an impact. But the combination, is typically more of a widespread impact. We have to be careful. Heat is the number one killer in the world, when it comes to natural disasters. We talked about hurricanes and floods, but this is dangerous. I was going to say, that we unfortunately, have already had five that's related to the heat. We have had 167 paramedic responses can treated to this heat. It is a very real phenomenon and we are all human and it is easy to forget that a lot of this is preventable. We can minimize risk and take action to prevent true medical emergencies. One last question. You attended a El Niño update. What is the latest? El Niño is a big word. We are looking at an El Niño that is going to be stronger than we have ever seen. It does not mean that the whole state of California is going to get heavy rain or flooding. Does not mean we will get out of the drought. We can expect a stormy winter that we have not seen for a long time. In some cases, you have to go back 5 to 10 years. We should start seeing that impact in the middle of winter, where repeated storms come through. It doesn't mean a be bigger or wetter storms, but the accumulative impact is going to cause problems, especially for some in California. When it cools off, it will be a good time to check if you have brush or debris in your neighborhood. Start doing your homework if you live in a flood zone. We still have to get through the Santa Anna season in October and November. The rainfall will generally be beneficial. They used to say that we had no weather in San Diego. I want to thank my guess, meteorologist Alex, Dr. P and veterinarian Leslie with the San Diego humane society.