Cooling centers offered during extreme heat days, Cape Cod towns say

Sticking out into the sea the way it does, Cape Cod so far this summer has remained a few degrees cooler — or perhaps it's more accurate to say less hot — than other parts of Massachusetts.

At least, according to the thermometer. But just because the temperatures here don't typically reach the same heights as inland, hot days still feel just as sweltering when humidity is taken into account.

This "feels like" heat is intensified when the wind blows from the southwest over warm water, as it did last week. And it can be just as concerning when it comes to people's health.

Sweating and evaporation is "the number one way we maintain our temperature," said Dr. Michael Hall, chief of emergency medicine at Cape Cod Hospital — sweat removes excess heat, and as the moisture evaporates off the skin it serves to cool a person down.

But add in some thick-as-New England clam chowder humidity, and the dynamics change.

"Here on the Cape, when humidity gets above 75%, sweating doesn't work," he said.

To put that into perspective, humidity is considered tropical when it reaches 70%. At this time of year, the average temperature is 82 degrees. At 70% humidity, that actually feels closer to 86 or 87 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. An 85-degree day, with 70% humidity, feels more like 93 degrees.

In the face of increased overall temperatures owing to a changing climate, as has been seen worldwide this summer, it is important to be aware of the effects of heat, even in relatively less hot places like Cape Cod. The National Weather Service warns that heat is the leading cause of weather-related illnesses and fatalities in the U.S.

Since June 1, Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital have seen 15 patients with heat-related illness, Hall said. That's not unusual, as the hospitals saw about 15 patients with heat-related illnesses last June and July, too.

"People most at risk for heat-related illness are the very young and the very old, for different reasons," Hall said.

In general, older people have less blood supply to the skin, so they're less able to get rid of the heat, he explained. Furthermore, "they sometimes have difficulty changing their environment" because they have trouble walking, don't drive, are unable to open windows or don't have air conditioning. Certain medications can also predispose people to heat-related illness, most notably diuretics and antihistamines, he said.

Heat can be an issue for infants and very young children because they, too, can't always change their environment. They also can't easily communicate thirst, and don't get rid of heat as easily because they don't sweat as much.

There's a whole separate category for young athletes, who may not recognize when it's time to take a break and may not drink enough water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also includes poor and homeless people, people with physical or cognitive impairments, and outside workers among the most vulnerable groups.

"When we think about heat illness from a medical perspective, we think of heat exhaustion and heat stroke," Hall said. "Heat exhaustion is not life threatening. Heat stroke is."

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting, headache, heavy sweating, muscle cramps and paleness.

With more severe heat stroke "people can be confused, and they can become unconscious," Hall said. "Also, in general, they have stopped sweating."

Other symptoms listed by the CDC include: an extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees); rapid, strong pulse, throbbing headache, dizziness and nausea.

"Number one is understanding your baseline risk," the doctor said. "If you're older, if you're on meds, if you have cardiac disease or lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, you're going to be more susceptible to heat."

Hall noted that most heat-related illnesses are brought on when there's no chance to acclimatize to heat.

"If the normal temperature is 80 degrees and we have a week of 100 degrees and high humidity, everyone hasn't had a chance to get used to that temperature," he said and "it puts everyone at risk."

It's also problematic when nighttime temperatures remain elevated, offering little to no opportunity for people to recover from hot days.

During official heat waves or times when there might be a heat emergency in effect, local towns all have places people can go if they need to cool off. Most designate their community centers, libraries, and town halls as cooling centers — public places that are air conditioned, with access to Wi-Fi, water and snacks, and bathroom facilities, and in some cases televisions.

Barnstable, for example, opens its Adult Community Center and the Hyannis Youth and Community Center when necessary, while Brewster has designated its town hall as a cooling, as well as a heating center. Falmouth primarily offers its Town Hall, the Falmouth Public Library and its East and North branches.

Brewster Town Manager Peter Lombardi said the town's public safety team members — like their counterparts in other towns — determine when it may be appropriate to open a town facility as a cooling or warming center.

"This would typically occur when there are multiple consecutive extreme heat/cold days," said Lombardi, or "when large portions of the town are without power for an extended period of time."

The towns' cooling centers are meant for short-term visits only. The Barnstable County Regional Preparedness Committee coordinates longer term regional shelters when needed.

Towns post public service announcements to their website to keep people informed about when and where cooling centers, or longer-term shelters, are opened. They also turn to their social media feeds, local access TV and local media to help spread the word, and if large-scale alerts are necessary, they can use an automated phone alert system and text alert system to quickly get out information.

The Cape Cod Times is investigating the effects of a rapidly heating planet on people who live on the Cape & islands. Follow along as we report the struggle with summer temperatures and its effects, even in New England. This is part of the USA TODAY project Perilous Course. Contact Heather McCarron at [email protected] to be included in a story if you have been affected by heat.