MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Heat indexes could soar into the triple digits through Saturday in the Eastern Panhandle. That can be dangerous, according to Bill Kearns, Executive Director of the Berkeley/Morgan County Health Departments.
“People that have immune issues, or who are having breathing issues, or the elderly, you really want to be careful when you’re outside,” Kearns said. “With the heat being as intense as it is, and it looking like our heat indexes are going to be in the triple digits, you really want to be careful because heat stroke is very real and can happen real quick.”
Even if you aren’t in a vulnerable group, Kearns says to limit your time outdoors during the hottest temperatures, according to Kearns.
“If you’re outside, you really want to limit your strenuous exercises or what you’re doing outside,” Kearns said. “If you need to get out there and get that grass mowed, do it early in the morning, do it late in the day when the sun’s not so intense.”
Bottom line, according to Kearns, “You really want to limit your exposure outside” during the heat of the day.
The National Weather Service in Baltimore issued a hazardous weather statement for the region from Thursday through Saturday.
“Temperatures in the 90s combined with humid conditions may result in
heat indices in the lower 100s,” according to a weather statement Wednesday which indicated further warnings might be
necessary, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons.
