As the sun continues to blaze across the North Carolina sky, residents are feeling the heat in more ways than one. The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a Heat Advisory effective from this morning through this evening, cautioning that the heat index values could crest between 105 and 109 degrees.
The advisory spans a broad section of central North Carolina, encompassing the Eastern Piedmont, Sandhills, and the Coastal Plain and will last from 10 AM to 8 PM EDT. According to the Heat Advisory by the NWS, “hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses,” and along with the sweltering heat an isolated risk for strong to severe wet downbursts is anticipated this afternoon, bringing gusty winds, and potentially, with them, torrential rainfall to blanket the landscape.
Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids—non-alcoholic and sans large sugar content—seek out air-conditioned environments, avoid the sun during peak hours, and monitor the well-being of those most susceptible to heat stress, including the elderly and the very young. During this advisory, those going outdoors should also consider the timing of their activities, with best practices suggesting early morning or evening are the most suitable, the time when the sun offers a minor reprieve from its relentless beating down on Earth’s surface…