Heat Is Now Here In Vermont, What To Know, How To Stay Safe

The heat wave is here.

Not just Vermont. All the areas in orange, red, 
purple, etc on this map are under various
heat advisories and warnings. Record high
temperatures are forecast in dozens of
U.S cities today, including here in Vermont.

It sort of began Sunday after those morning thunderstorms blew through.  It didn't quite make it to 90 degrees, but it was hot enough. With temperatures in the 80s and high humidity, the heat index flirted with 90 degrees.  

We'll get to the more extreme heat we've got coming. Stay with me in this post, because you'll see tips on why Vermonters  need to be careful with this extreme heat and what to do about it, 

But first a quick update on the Sunday morning storms.

Those storms might not have been as severe as feared in Vermont, as I wrote in yesterday's post. It turns out the most dangerous part of this system mostly bypassed Vermont and dove southward from Canada down through central and western New York.

It got pretty bad in central parts of the Empire State. A tornado along with extreme winds hit Oneida County, New York around 4:30 a.m, Sunday, killing three people. Oneida County is where cities like Rome and Utica are located.

The same storms set off severe flash flooding in the same county and surrounding areas. Now, people will start picking up the pieces today amid the extreme heat.  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in 32 counties due to the storms. 

VERMONT HEAT

If you were an early riser, I hope you weren't lulled by the muggy, but not terribly hot dawn today in Vermont. Temperatures then were in the 60s to around 70.

The truly hot air is now coming in.  The "heat dome" everyone is talking about will be upon us all day. That creates sinking air. That sinking air makes the already hot air heat it more. We should have no trouble reaching the 90s this afternoon in Vermont.

That'll be low 90s in somewhat higher elevation towns and perhaps upper 90s in parts of the Champlain and lower Connecticut River valleys.   

The accompanying high humidity will make today and tomorrow will send the heat index or "real feel" of the air to over 100 degrees in much of Vermont. These will likely the two most dangerously hot days Vermont has seen since July, 2018. 

THE DANGER

Being a northern state, Vermonters are especially susceptible to extreme heat. First of all, we're not acclimatized to it. Our bodies haven't adapted to big hot spells, as we haven't had much in the way of hot weather so far this year. 

And there's more:

According to the Vermont Department of Health:

"In recent years hot weather has affected the health of people living in Vermont more and more. These effects are expected to get worse as our climate continues to warm.  In cooler states like Vermont, most heat-related deaths occur inside homes without air conditioning.

This happened during the heat wave in Vermont in June (editor's note, actually early July) when four older adults died. Vermont has one of the lowest rates of access to home air conditioning in the country, putting many people at higher risk for heat-related illnesses. Unhoused people also suffer more in the heat when they cannot access air-conditioned shelters."

Heat waves are tending to become increasingly humid, which makes their dangers worse. When we overheat, we sweat. When the air is dry, that sweat evaporates, which has a cooling effect on our bodies. 

When it's humid, the sweat doesn't evaporate so readily, so we don't cool off so much. 

The higher humidity also keeps nighttime temperature from falling as much as when the air is less muggy.  These hotter nights don't give us a chance to recover from a torrid day.  You can see the trend in Burlington; The two days with the highest "low" temperature on record (80 degrees) were pretty recent. The first one was on July 2, 2018, the other was just last year, June 19, 2024. 

True to recent form, tonight will stay hot and muggy. The forecast "low" temperature tonight in Burlington is a stifling 77 degrees. 

The health effects of heat accumulate the longer the heat goes on, especially when it doesn't really get cool at night.  Which means in general, we'll be worse off tomorrow than we are today.

WHAT TO DO

Me soaking in a livestock watering tub on a hot evening
last summer. You gotta do anything you can to stay cool!
Photo by Jeff Modereger. 

You're going to want to drink a lot of water today and tomorrow. That will help keep your internal sweat factory at peak capacity, which is important. 

Start the day with a glass of water and keep going.If at all possible, get your butt into an air conditioned room. If only for a few hours. 

Avoid the booze and caffeinated beverages if possible. These drinks can actually dehydrate you.

Eat light and cold, things like salad and fruits. During heat waves, my husband and I in the evening like to fix what we call a "cold suppah" (that's how we pronounce it).  It usually consists of fresh salads, cold cuts, a baguette and cheeses.  The stove and oven stay off,

If at all possible, get your butt into an air conditioned room. If only for a few hours.  If you don't have air conditioning, find cool places.  Only one room of my house is air conditioned, so my husband and I often set up shop in our cool basements, setting up our laptops and TV down there so we can avoid the heat. 

Also, try taking cool showers and baths. They do help,  

Since we don't have a swimming pool at our house, we've gone so far as to set up a livestock water feeding tub on our back deck. I fill it with cool water and sit in it.  It's deep enough so when I do that, the refreshing water comes up to my neck. Ahhhhh. Feels good.  

In other words, do whatever it takes to stay cool.

Hey employers!  Don't be a hardass.  If your workers do most of their stuff outdoors, go easy on them  today and tomorrow. Exertion in this weather is extremely dangerous. Make sure the crew has  plenty of water and give them frequent breaks. What the hell, maybe even give them the day or the hottest part of the day off.  

If you do that, they'll survive to work for you another day, Plus, if you treat employees fairly, that's a great way to get loyalty and hard work from them in the future. It's a win/win for you and the employees.  

If you're worried about your elderly friends and relatives without air conditioning, you should be. Today and tomorrow are great days to "kidnap" them and haul them and yourself to an air conditioned movie matinee, restaurant, shopping center or museum.  

YOUR PETS

Whatever you do, keep your pets in a cool place. Do NOT leave them outside unattended for hours, or worse, all day. 

Our weather dog Henry will probably hang out in the basement with us today. 

Make sure they always have plenty of water. NEVER leave them in your car, not even for that so-called "minute" when you dash into a store to grab something. Cars turn into ovens almost immediately in this weather, 

Also, get into the habit of carefully checking the car, including back seat when you get out.  Did you leave pets or children back there? You sure? It's so easy to have a brain fart and forget. 

If you take your dog for a walk, avoid asphalt and concrete.  Those heat up ridiculously during hot spells, and will burn their paws. 

BEYOND TUESDAY

Luckily, this heat wave will be mercifully brief. Tuesday night will remain stuffy and uncomfortable, but there might be signs of relief toward morning. Wednesday afternoon will be much cooler, with highs in the low 80s. So better. The humidity levels will keep falling during the day Wednesday, too.