By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
It is extremely rare to see a daily high temperature in Massachusetts reach 100 degrees. In fact, in 174 years of record-keeping, the mercury has only climbed that high nine times.
At noon on Tuesday, as Valley residents made every effort to beat the heat, 2010 became the first year in state history with two 100 degree days - and they were back-to-back.
Steve Sauter, who records daily temperatures at a weather station next to Amherst College's Webster Hall, recognized the significance of this week's unseasonable sweltering heat. After reaching 100 degrees Monday afternoon, he said Tuesday's hour-long high of 101 was alarming.
"This is an extremely rare event," Sauter said. "If you are worried about global warming, we started recording temperatures here in 1836 and the first 100 degree day wasn't until 1926. So 90 years went by before we had one."
The other dates for where the temperatures hit 100 degrees or more were: 1948, 100; 1953, 102; 1955, 101; 1964, 100; 1975, 101; 1991, 102; and 2006, 102.
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The hot and humid weather, according to News 22 meteorologist Shiri Spear, is the result of slow-moving high pressure system off the Atlantic coast that is pulling air from the deep South into the Atlantic Northeast and across much of southern New England.
"We are sucking up a lot of hot, humid almost tropical air into our area," Spear said. "This system is a blocked weather pattern, and it looks like it is going to be sitting here until the end of the week."
Despite expecting a midweek thunderstorm, Spear said it won't be enough to return temperatures to where they normally would be this time of year.
"It is going to stay really hot and humid through the end of the work week, and the true release doesn't look like it will be until this weekend," Spear said. "We should start to see drier air and highs in the 80s."
Though there were anecdotal reports of power failures in Northampton, National Grid and Western Mass Electric Co. had no record of any in the area.
According to Accuweather.com, severe heat is the biggest weather-related killer in the country, more than storms or tornadoes.
When the human body takes more heat than it can handle, an illness called hyperthermia can occur, Accuweather reports.
Hyperthermia signs include: cramps, swelling in ankles or feet, sudden dizziness, thirst, dizziness, weakness, lack of coordination and nausea.
Dr. Robert Baevski, who works in the emergency department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, said when it comes to heat-related complications, special consideration should be given to children, senior citizens and residents with underlying conditions that could make them more susceptible to hot or muggy weather.
The best solution, Baevski said, is to remain well-hydrated, drink fluids containing electrolytes, avoid prolonged activities outside and stay in an indoor, air-conditioned environment whenever possible. "People should stay inside and dress appropriately in loose-fitting clothing and hats," Baevski said.
He said that basing your overall health on how thirsty you are isn't a good measure of whether or not you may be at risk for heat stroke.
"The initial signs are that you generally don't feel well and people often will complain of having headaches and cramps," Baevski said. "Thirst is not necessarily reflective of your dehydration status."
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com
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