Health
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If you have been outside at all for the last week, you know how hot it has been. Most of the Southeast is under a hot, stagnant air mass which has plenty of humidity as well as high temperatures, making it feel even more oppressive. Heat indices this week have been at or above 100…
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Do you know what Wet Bulb Globe Temperature is? The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation). This differs from the heat index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity and is…
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If you follow the news at all, you know that a lot of the Southeast is expected to experience the effects of a very large plume of dust blowing west off the Sahara desert all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and into the Southeast. Because of the weather pattern right now, it will probably…
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A new study published this week shows that the number of days with extremely high heat and humidity is increasing globally as the earth’s temperature warms. This means that there are parts of the earth that will be very inhospitable to human life, especially in areas where there is no air conditioning. The human survivability…
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Along with the dry conditions we are going into a period of warmer than normal temperatures. Here in Athens temperatures the next few days are supposed to be in the upper 80s, with more warm weather on the way (although we may get a mid-week break). If you are spending time outside, now is a…
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As the temperature and humidity in the Southeast increase over the next few decades under the influence of global warming, heat stress on agricultural workers working outdoors is expected to nearly double by 2050, according to a recent article in Modern Farmer. This will mean that workers need to switch to lighter clothing, be given…
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Every year, more than 500 Americans get hit by lightning. Around 90 percent of those survive, but often with debilitating and sometimes mysterious symptoms that can cause serious continuing health issues. Here is a story about what happened to several people who survived lightning strikes and how that experience…