Missouri is bracing for a potentially dangerous round of summer heat.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning or watch for much of the state. The high temperature is expected to reach 100 degrees through Saturday. High humidity will make it feel even worse as heat indices could rise as high as 115 degrees.
Friends and relatives are encouraged to check on the elderly. Those without air conditioning are encouraged to go somewhere that has it.
Public health officials are making residents aware there are several places they can go to get cool.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services lists the following cooling centers in and around Jefferson City:
- Capital Mall, 3600 Country Club Drive
- Clarke Senior Center, 1310 Linden Drive
- Missouri River Regional Library, 214 Adams St.
- The Salvation Army Jefferson City, 927 Jefferson St.
Jefferson City's two public pools offer another option to cool off: Memorial Park Aquatic Center at 120 Binder Drive and Ellis-Porter Riverside Pool at 320 Ellis-Porter Drive.
Local officials said other public buildings such as Jefferson City Hall and the Cole County Sheriff's Department could also be considered cooling centers during times of extreme heat.
Other cooling centers in Mid-Missouri include:
- Senior Nutrition Centers in Fulton, California, Linn, Eldon and Versailles
- Callaway County Library in Fulton
- Fulton City Hall
- New Bloomfield City Hall
- Callaway County Courthouse in Fulton
- Libraries in Sunrise Beach, Osage Beach, Versailles and Eldon.
Even if you think you're getting used to the sweltering weather, you should watch out for signs of heat-related illness.
Forms of heat-related illness include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, according to Tammy Roberts, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
"To help prevent heat cramps, drink a fluid that has electrolytes during and after long periods of heavy sweating," she said in a news release.
Heat exhaustion happens when the body loses the ability to cool itself. This can occur when a person has been sweating heavily and not replacing fluids and electrolytes. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include headache, dizziness, loss of coordination, impaired judgment, anxiety, clammy skin and a weak, rapid pulse. Individuals with these symptoms need to be cooled down and slowly drink fluids.
Heat stroke, the most serious heat-related illness, occurs when the body has lost too much water and salt. That loss, along with the body's inability to cool itself, makes body heat rise to dangerous levels. Symptoms of heat stroke include a high body temperature with no sweating, nausea and vomiting, seizures, difficulty breathing, high blood pressure, and any of the symptoms of heat exhaustion mentioned above.
Digesting food creates heat in your body, so if the heat is bothering you, Roberts suggests eating smaller but more frequent meals.
The hot spell is expected to break next week, when the forecast calls for highs in the low 90s.