Sudden heat wave brings dangers

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay set a new record high temperature Thursday at 91 degrees, breaking the record 87 degrees that stood since 1991.

Beyond just making us feel sticky with this humidity, the sudden heat wave can also be dangerous. Health officials are expressing concern about heat-related illnesses over the next 2 days.

Health officials say there’s a chance of developing conditions like fatigue, cramps and heat exhaustion, especially if you spend a lot of time outside.

Dr. Brad Burmeister is an emergency physician at Bellin Hospital. He said, “This is sort of a unique year where we went from having pretty cooler, cold weather to a pretty signifcant heat wave early on, which is a little worrisome because people aren’t quite acclimated yet to warmer temperatures.”

A junior varsity baseball game was going on as scheduled in Ashwaubenon Thursday afternoon. Coaches for both Ashwaubenon and De Pere told us player safety was their number-one priority. Players were encouraged to wear light clothes, stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.

“If you start to drink fluids when your body feels thirsty, that’s already too late. That’s your body’s way of saying I’m already dehydrated. And it’s really hard to replenish their fluids in the dehydrated state, during that activity,” Ashwaubenon JV baseball coach Travis Bernath said.

Melanie Noskowiak, an athlete trainer for Prevea Health, advised, “The biggest thing to keep an eye out for is that mental acuity or that mental sharpness. If they start to kind of drift off or they’re really really tired, that’s the first thing. Of course, the cramps come. The big one that they really want to look out for is if they stop sweating.”

Prevea Health offers parents a tip: Pack their kids a peanut butter sandwich. It’s rich in fats and protein, giving them a boost to play through this heat.

Copyright 2022 WBAY. All rights reserved.