MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the entire WREG viewing area.
The alert will be active until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13.
Highs for Tuesday will be in the mid/high 90’s, but the Heat Index temperatures will be between 105 to 115 degrees.
The impact of the heat
The scorching heat is keeping emergency rooms busy. Doctors at one Mid-South hospital told WREG they’ve seen plenty of patients showing up with heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke.
The hospital said it’s prepared for the heat wave.
“The last couple of weeks we have talked about how we need to make sure we are getting iv fluids quickly to patients if they come in an elevated body temperature. Those ivs need to be cooled and extreme cases we sometimes put cooling blankets on them as well.'”
Symptoms of heat stroke include headache, dizziness, and nausea. People over the age of 50 are especially vulnerable.
The Shelby County School District also said it’s not taking its chances during this heat wave. It suspended all outdoor activities including sports practices. They also said they are checking each school bus regularly to make sure each of them have air conditioning.
Cooling center open
If you need to get out of the heat, head to the Lewis Senior Center on North Parkway. That location will serve as a cooling center until Wednesday, August 14, at 7 a.m.
If you have any questions call (901) 636-2525.
