PNSALY
NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-082>084-VTZ013>015-
181200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
300 PM EDT TUE JUN 17 2008

...TOMORROW IS HEAT AWARENESS DAY IN NEW YORK AND VERMONT...

THE NEW YORK STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE...VERMONT 
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
OFFICES SERVING NEW YORK AND VERMONT PROCLAIM TOMORROW...JUNE 
18...HEAT AWARENESS DAY IN NEW YORK AND VERMONT. CONSIDERING THE 
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT...IT IS IMPORTANT THAT NEW YORK 
AND VERMONT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS OF 
EXTREME HEAT. 
 
PEOPLE SUFFER HEAT RELATED ILLNESS...AND DEATH...WHEN THE BODYS 
TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM IS OVERLOADED. NORMALLY...THE BODY 
COOLS ITSELF BY SWEATING. BUT UNDER SOME CONDITIONS...SWEATING 
JUST IS NOT ENOUGH. IN SUCH CASES...A PERSONS BODY TEMPERATURE RISES RAPIDLY...AND VITAL ORGANS ARE THREATENED. 

ON AVERAGE...170 AMERICANS SUCCUMB TO HEAT EACH YEAR. HEAT KILLS 
MORE PEOPLE EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES THAN 
TORNADOES...FLOODS...AND LIGHTNING COMBINED. FOR INSTANCE... NEARLY 600 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN CHICAGO DURING THE 
1995 HEAT WAVE AND 42 PEOPLE PERISHED in 2006 IN NEW YORK CITY 
DURING AN AUGUST HEAT WAVE. 
 
DESPITE THEIR NORTHERN LOCATION...NEW YORK AND VERMONT...ARE NOT 
IMMUNE TO THE LIFE THREATENING EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT. EARLIER THIS MONTH...EXCESSIVE HEAT COVERED OUR REGION FOR FOUR DAYS BETWEEN JUNE 7 AND JUNE 10. HEAT INDICES CLIMBED TO OVER 100 ACROSS VALLEY LOCATIONS.

EACH SUMMER...NEW YORK AND VERMONT EXPERIENCE THEIR SHARE OF 
HOT...HUMID WEATHER...CONDITIONS IDEAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
HEAT RELATED ILLNESS. USUALLY...THESE CONDITIONS DO NOT LAST FOR 
A PROLONGED PERIOD. HOWEVER...A REVIEW OF EASTERN NEW YORK AND 
SOUTHERN VERMONT WEATHER RECORDS SHOWS HOT TEMPERATURES ARE 
COMMON DURING THE SUMMER...MAINLY IN VALLEY LOCATIONS. FOR 
EXAMPLE POUGHKEEPSIE AVERAGES ABOUT 11 90 DEGREE DAYS PER 
YEAR...WITH ALBANY RECORDING NINE AND GLENS FALLS AROUND SIX. IN 
VERMONT...DORSET CHECKS IN WITH FOUR 90 DEGREE DAYS PER YEAR AND 
BELLOWS FALLS AROUND 13. IN CONTRAST...LOCATIONS IN THE 
ADIRONDACKS...GREENS...AND CATSKILLS RARELY SEE 90 DEGREE DAYS. 
IN OLD FORGE YOU CAN EXPECT ONE 90 DEGREE DAY EVERY 10 YEARS. 
ALTHOUGH RARE...100 DEGREE DAYS CAN OCCUR IN EASTERN NEW YORK AND 
SOUTHERN VERMONT VALLEYS. POUGHKEEPSIE REACHES THE CENTURY MARK 
ABOUT ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS...WITH ALBANY LAST TOUCHING 100 IN 
1953. IN 60 YEARS OF RECORD KEEPING GLENS FALLS HAS HIT 100 ONLY 
ONCE...ALBEIT RECENTLY IN JULY 1988. BELLOWS FALLS VERMONT 
AVERAGES ABOUT ONE 100 DEGREE DAY EVERY 50 YEARS.
 
THOSE MOST AT RISK FROM HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES ARE THE ELDERLY...INFANTS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD...THOSE EXPOSED TO HIGH 
TEMPERATURES IN THE WORK PLACE...THE CHRONICALLY ILL OR BED RIDDEN...THE MENTALLY ILL...THOSE ON CERTAIN DRUGS...AND THOSE RESIDING IN URBAN AREAS. 
 
CONSIDERING THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT...THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE HAS STEPPED UP ITS EFFORTS TO ALERT NEW YORK AND 
VERMONT RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO THE LIFE THREATENING EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT. 
 
WEDNESDAY MORNING WE WILL REVIEW THE HEAT INDEX...AND NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE ALERT PROCEDURES. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WE TURN 
OUR ATTENTION TO THE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS OF EXTREME HEAT.