Island Senior: Under the Heat Dome
Posted July 1, 2021 at 5:30 am by Peggy Sue McRae
David Geist Cooks Egg Sunny Side Up – photo David Geist
“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae.
There is no denying summer is here and it has arrived with a vengeance!
A heat dome has been hovering over the Pacific Northwest giving us delicate Northwesterners temperatures up in the 100s. We are not used to this and need to take care.
Don’t go barefoot. You could burn your feet!
By the time you are reading this, it should have cooled off some. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning on Tuesday cautioning that temperatures are likely to remain unseasonably hot into next week… and that brings us into July and the Fourth of July weekend.
A heat dome, a heavy influx of tourists, celebratory explosives… oh please, be careful out there.
With a little help from my friends, I am enjoying air conditioning for the first time in my life. This has me happy to stay indoors postponing any further emergence from my pandemic quarantine. If you find you need a place to cool down here on San Juan Island the Fire Station at 1011 Mullis Street is our designated cooling center.
Safety Tips
We also have plenty of cold water surrounding our island. But wait, I have a cautionary tale regarding this cold water. Don’t jump. Ease into it.
When I was a kid there was an incident down off the docks in Friday Harbor. A woman had gone overboard.
Heroically, a man on the dock jumped in to save her. She survived. He didn’t. As soon as he hit that cold water the shock gave him a heart attack and he died. Our waters are very cold. Get your ankles wet first before you take the plunge.
We may be past the worst of our heatwave but it is still uncommonly hot out there. Wear your sun hat and don’t forget your water bottle.
Check in on your neighbors and elderly friends. If you or anyone you know is in a heat crisis, please call 911. Stay safe. Be cool. Happy summer!
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Categories: Island Senior, Lifestyle, Safety
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