EXTREME COLD AND EXTREME HEAT EXTREME COLD Humans

EXTREME COLD AND EXTREME HEAT

EXTREME COLD • Humans are warm-bloodedwe have adapted to keep our body close to 99⁰F. • When the air starts getting colder- you shiver. Shivering causes your muscles to do work, and thus create heat. • Hypothermia- your body temperature actually begins to drop • Frostbite- freezing of body tissue

EXTREME COLD • Wind Chill- what the air “feels” like due to the wind blowing. • Example: A wind chill value of -20 ⁰F does not mean it’s actually -20 ⁰F , it means your body is cooling as though it were -20 ⁰F with no wind.

EXTREME HEAT • Sunburn is caused by UV rays. This can occur with sunshine, snow and ice. • The UV index is a chart to help us know when to take caution. • Strong links exist between sunburns and skin cancer. • And yes…. African Americans can get sunburned, too!

EXTREME HEAT • When it’s hot outside, more blood circulates throughout your body and your heart has to work harder. • You also sweat more, depleting your body of water and needed salts. • The heat index tells you what it “feels like” based on the temperature and the humidity.

EXTREME HEAT • Heat exhaustion can make your stomach upset, make you feel clammy and can possibly make you faint. • Heatstroke can cause rapid pulse, unconsciousness and death. • Heat is one of the leading weather-related causes of death. • Elderly and poor people are most affected.