PD Editorial: Extreme dangers of extreme heat

Summer may not officially arrive until next week, but it’s already sizzling outside.

Temperatures topped 100 degrees in northern Sonoma County on Wednesday and could reach triple digits again Thursday and Friday. Believe it or not, it could be worse.

Excessive heat warnings blanket drought-stricken Western states, with record highs from Montana to the Mexican border. Palm Springs hit 110 by midafternoon Wednesday, and that was down 10 degrees from Tuesday. Death Valley reached 124 two days running — just 10 degrees shy of the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

It hardly seems fair. Just as the last restrictions of the coronavirus lockdown are going away, hot weather is driving people back inside.

We’re already familiar with El Niño currents and atmospheric rivers — who wouldn’t welcome a gully washer right about now? Here’s an addition for your extreme weather lexicon: the “heat dome.”

A heat dome is a large area of high pressure that traps hot ocean air near the surface and can drive up temperatures across vast areas. A heat dome is presently lingering over the four corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, and we’re feeling the effects in the North Bay.

With Northern California mired in its second straight drought year, the blistering temperatures amplify an already harmful feedback loop: hot weather exacerbating dry conditions, and dry conditions fueling even higher temperatures.

It’s a pattern that’s likely to continue, according to climate scientists.

“One of the biggest ways climate change is affecting us is by loading the weather dice against us. Extreme weather events occur naturally; but on a warmer planet many of these events are getting bigger, stronger, and more damaging,” Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and the Nature Conservancy, told the Washington Post. “They’re affecting our health, the safety of our homes, the economy, and more.”

There isn’t a red flag warning, but intense heat heightens the risk of vegetation fires like the one that burned several acres near Comstock Middle School in Santa Rosa on Sunday. Blackouts also are possible. Cal ISO, the state’s grid operator, is asking for voluntary conservation from 5-10 p.m. on Thursday to avoid rotating power outages. Top of their list: keep your thermostat at 78 or higher.

Sonoma County officials issued a health alert, warning about the risk of heat stroke and offering some tips: don’t leave children or pets in a parked car; drink plenty of water; wear sunscreen and loose-fitting clothes, and keep an eye on elderly neighbors or neighbors in poor health who might need assistance.

If the heat here feels like too much to bear, look up Death Valley. It was still a sweltering 121 degrees as we wrapped up this editorial with an obvious thought: Time for a cold drink.

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