Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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In the peak of a Minnesota summer, the weather is hot and humid. And the month of July was 

advisories and warnings for counties across Minnesota as 

 for much of the day. Factoring in the humidity, Sunday’s heat index in the 

Twin Cities Metro area climbed into the triple digits

Temperatures in the cities across the state felt more acute than in more rural areas due to the 

. This effect is primarily caused by human activities, such as energy consumption from buildings, vehicles, industrial processes and acres of asphalt and concrete. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency

, the air temperature of a city with approximately 1 million people can be 1.8 to 5.4 degrees hotter than its surroundings.

With multiple factors contributing to the high heat that’s bearing down on communities across the metro area, how can we stay cool during such high temperatures? 

Staying hydrated is an essential way to avoid heat exhaustion, 

Experts suggest drinking liquids before you’re thirsty.

 Your body can be dehydrated before you sense thirst. A general rule is to aim for between 2 to 3 liters or 8 to 12 cups of water or fruit-based liquids daily. For those who are being active in the heat, 

the CDC recommends an extra 1-2 cups per hour of physical activity.

 dry mouth, fatigue, headache or dizziness and muscle cramps. 

Loose, light clothing allows air to circulate freely 

 Breathable fabrics also help sweat to evaporate faster, cooling your body, and prevents that sticky feeling that occurs during humid heat. Some of the best for hot weather include cotton, linen, rayon and bamboo. Some of the 

 during the heat include white, yellow, grey and red. You should avoid UV absorbing colors like black, navy and forest green. 

Businesses, recreation centers, and government buildings across Minnesota lend their spaces to people who want to escape the heat. Here are some of the cooling stations across our listening area:

Create a ‘self cooling’ home environment

Open windows on the opposite sides of your home if possible. Doing this will allow fresh air to flow through, creating a cool breeze. 

Position multiple box or window fans to pull in cooler air from one side of the window and push it out the other. A 

 can be made with a bucket of ice or ice water placed in front of a fan. For longer use, keep extra frozen bottles of water or blocks of ice nearby. 

If you have ceiling fan, make sure that it is rotating counterclockwise to push air down, creating a breeze. But remember, it’s best to turn fans off when leaving a room, as fans cool people and not rooms.

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Jaylan Sims

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With temperatures on the rise, several cooling centers are available across the Twin Cities for Minnesotans without access to air conditioning.

4 ways to stay cool amid warming temperatures

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