Topics: Winter Weather and Tips Summer Weather and Tips Adapted from the Forecast Weather Computer Bulletin Board by George Kasica. Summer Weather Safety Tips -------------------------- HEAT WAVE SAFETY RULES By George Kasica Due to sudden and sometimes intensely hot weather here is a little bit of information on heat waves, safety rules to observe during them, and some of the terms you may hear on the evening weathercast referring to how comfortable it is. First the safety rules: 1. Slow down. Your body can't do it's best in high temperatures and humidities and it might do its worst. 2. Heed your body's early warnings that heat syndrome is on the way. Reduce your level of activities immediately and get to a cooler environment. 3. Dress for summer. Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your thermoregulatory system maintain normal body temperature. 4. Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods like proteins, that increase metabolic heat production, also increase water loss. 5. Don't dry out. Heat wave weather can wring you out before you know it. Drink plenty of water while the hot spell lasts. 6. Stay salty. Unless your on a salt restricted diet, take an occasional salt tablet or some salt when you've worked up a sweat. 7. Avoid thermal shock. Acclimatize yourself gradually to warmer weather. Treat yourself extra gently for those first critical two or three hot days. 8. Vary your thermal environment. Physical stress increases with exposure time in heat wave weather. Try to get out of the heat for at least a few hours each day. if you can't do this at home, drop in on a cool store, restaurant, or theater - anything to keep your exposure time down. 9. Don't get too much sun. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult. Well, now that you know some safety rules to follow, here are some terms that you may be seeing on the evening news. Temperature Humidity Index (or T.H.I.): This index is a measure of comfort which is based on the outdoor temperature and humidity. If the index is below 70, most people feel comfortable. Above 73, air conditioning may be appropriate. At 75 over 50% of the people will feel uncomfortable. Nearly everyone feels uncomfortable at a value of 79 with some experiencing acute discomfort. At this point clothing worn makes a big difference. With values in the 80's discomfort is acute for all, and work efficiency drops, accident rates also rise sharply. With a T.H.I. in the 90's the situation is very dangerous and all should move to cooler areas or stop activities at once! Here is a simple method for finding the T.H.I., all you need is the air temperature and relative humidity: T.H.I.=T-(.55-.55*H)*(T-58) Where T is the temperature and H is the relative humidity as a decimal (ie 80% is .8). Humiture: Better known as Apparent Temperature, humiture is a better heat index than the T.H.I. It will tell you what it feels like when you take the humidity into consideration. With readings in the 80-90 range, fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and physical activity. In the 90-105 area, sunstroke and heat exhaustion are possible with prolonged exposure and physical activity. In the 105-130 range sunstroke or heat exhaustion are likely. Heatstroke is possible with prolonged exposure and physical activity. Above 130 conditions are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and heatstroke is imminent unless you get to cooler surroundings or stop all activities. Here is how to compute Humiture or Apparent Temperature: Humiture=Air Temperature + Humits from chart Humits: Dew Point 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Humits 2 5 8 11 15 19 25 31 Values between those given can be estimated. Well, there you have some heat wave safety rules and information. I would like to thank the following people for being helpful at the early hour of the morning when this guide was put together: The staff of the National Weather Service Forecast Office at Gen. Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee WI. Vince Condella, Jack Boston, and Bart Adrian of WITI-TV6 Milwaukee, WI Paul Joseph, Jim Ott, and Carl Boenek of WTMJ-TV Ch. 4 Milwaukee, WI Winter Weather Safety Tips -------------------------- Below is a winter guide to help you safely survive our coldest season. Along with the safety tips is a definition of wind chill. Wind chill is the effects of both temperature AND wind on the rate of cooling on a human body. For example, if the air temperature is 20 degrees, and the wind speed is 15 mph, our skin would feel an equivalent temperature of -5 degrees, AND also lose heat at that rate. Windchill IS NOT actual temperature, if it is 10 degrees, with a wind chill of -40, your car will still only get to 10 degrees. As for windchill safety, here are some guidelines: Windchills above -20 present little danger to properly clothed persons, between -20 and -70 windchills present increasing danger of freezing exposed flesh. At windchills below -70, there is GREAT DANGER of freezing any exposed parts of the body. Some winter weather terms you may hear are defined below: Advisory for Snow, Ice, Fog, etc... Weather conditions may be hazardous due to one or more weather elements such as snowfall, ice-covered roadways and sidewalks, dense fog, etc. Winter Storm Watch... Winter storm is possible in 24 to 36 hours. Winter Storm Warning... An ice storm, sleet, or heavy snow are imminent. Heavy Snow... Four or more inches of snow in the next 12 hours, or 6 or more inches in the next 24 hours. Blizzard... Winds of at least 35 mph along with heavy snow for an extended period of time. THE TEMPERATURE NO LONGER HAS TO BE BELOW 20 DEGREES TO BE CLASSIFIED AS A BLIZZARD. Lake-Effect Snow... Snowfall that results from cold, arctic air moving over the relatively warmer waters of Lake Michigan. Snow amounts are heaviest within a mile of the shoreline, tapering off to just a trace of snow 30 miles inland. For those of you that are traveling this winter and are unlucky enough to be caught out in a winter storm situation, here is what the National Weather Service recommends you carry with you at all times in your car: Shovel, ax & knife, sack of sand, windshield scraper, catalytic heater- heats by chemical action like glove warmers, two tow chains, battery booster cables, flashlight or signal light, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, extra clothing, blankets or sleeping bags, compass and road maps, facial tissue and paper towels, matches and candles, high-calorie non-perishable food items (candy is a good example). Here are some parting winter weather safety tips: 1) DRESS RIGHT! Wear layers of clothing with an outer garment of a tightly woven and water repellent material. Mittens are warmer than gloves. 2) Become Independent. Keep plenty of food and fuel on hand, and check all battery powered equipment. 3) Guard your Health! Shoveling snow is hard work and can bring on a heart attack, a major cause of death during winter storms...TAKE IT EASY! 4) Drive with care. Keep your car winterized and carry a winter storm kit. If you get trapped in your car during a winter storm, STAY IN YOUR CAR, but keep it ventilated. Exercise, turn on the dome light at night, stand watch for possible rescuers, and above all, DON'T PANIC. The above winter weather safety tips are brought to you courtesy of WITI-TV6 and meteorologists Vince Condella, Jack Boston, and Bart Adrian in Milwaukee.