While temperatures in the 90s and triple-digit heat indexes have many local residents concerned about outdoor health risks, 30 nine to thirteen-year-old students from the Higher Achievement academic program were treated by University Medical Center for heat-related illnesses Tuesday evening.
According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, the children were walking from the Gooch-Dillard Residence Halls to the McCormick Observatory for an event at 8:30 p.m. A small number of students with asthma initially started experiencing discomfort from the heat. Shortly thereafter, several other students reported heat-related discomfort which led staff members to contact University Police.
Police officials, along with city fire and rescue personnel descended immediately on-site and decided that nine of the students should be admitted into the emergency room, according to Wood.
As a precautionary measure, the group leaders and the police and rescue officers chartered a University bus to transport the remainder of the students to the Medical Center.
University Medical Center Public Relations Spokesperson Abena Foreman-Trice said that in a few of the cases, the students' primary problem was dehydration, but by midnight all were in good condition and formally discharged.
While the area has been under heat advisories for the past two weeks, there are no signs of record-breaking temperatures -- the notable characteristic is the extremely large amount of moisture in the atmosphere, according to Virginia State Climatologist Patrick Michaels.
"The dew points have been running in the high 70s, for much of the last two weeks," Michaels said. "Normally, that's about as high as the dew point gets here, but it usually does not persist."
Michaels added that the high dewpoints can occur if there has been very little change in the vertical structure of the atmosphere for the southeastern United States on a day to day basis.
Officials are urging local residents to take precautions when participating in outdoor activities.
According to Medical School Prof. Ursulla Courtney, people are urged to refrain from outdoor activities during the middle of the day. If outdoor activity is required, Courtney recommends people should drink plenty of fluids and wear very loose clothing. People with serious medical conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, senior citizens, infants, and young children are most susceptible to heat exhaustion.
"Everybody should wear sunscreenof at least SPF 15 and should wear a hat to prevent losing moisture from the top of the head," Courtney said.
Relief may be in sight. Michaels said normally this is the hottest week of the year, but temperatures today are expected to be much cooler than yesterday. He added that temperatures are expected to remain cooler for the next few weeks.
The worst heat wave recorded in Charlottesville occurred in 1930 where temperatures were at least 100 degrees or above for thirteen consecutive days, with a record breaking temperature of 107 degrees, according to Michaels.
"We have simply never come that close to the extended heat of the summer in 1930, anywhere in the state of Virginia," he said. "And that is quite an anomaly."
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