STATE COLLEGE – AccuWeather.com reports you’ve been waiting months for this; sunshine a nd 90-degree heat. The question is, can you handle it?
The weather pattern gave a little hint this week as to what was to come.
Starting this weekend and building into the first part of next week, a surge of heat, humidity and blazing sunshine is coming to much of the Eastern part of the nation.
Get the air conditions, fans, pools and sunscreen ready, because “it” is on!
Temperatures will peak well into the 80s and even the mid-90s in some locations from Sunday to Wednesday along the I-95 Northeast, as well as many other areas.
Let’s face it, though, while millions of people will welcome the warmth coming at the unofficial start of summer, the Memorial Day weekend, it may be a bit much for some folks to handle all at once.
There have been many more cloudy, even rainy, days this spring compared to last spring. Many f air-skinned folks like me are going to have to be careful with the sun.
May is the American Cancer Society’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and Friday, May 27 is Don’t Fry Day.
Make sure you slap on the sunscreen or limit your exposure to the sun’s direct rays, not only this weekend, but throughout the summer.
AccuWeather.com prepares daily UV Index maps, and you can also find daily your daily projected UV index on your local AccuWeather forecast page.
Many people are going to get the heat and sunshine all at once and won’t have much time to acclimate.
Be sure to keep yourself hydrated and wear light-weight, light-colored clothing.
Check on the elderly and toddlers, as they are most susceptible to hyperthermia.
If it is the beach or swimming hole you had in mind, know this: water temperatures of area lakes, streams and unheated pools are colder this year compared to last from the Northwest and northern Rockies to the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
Frequent rain (and snow) and predominantly cloudy skies are to blame.
A sudden jump into or too much time in cold water can lead to cramping, shock, heart attacks and drowning.
Even while ocean water temperatures along the Atlantic coast are running well above average for this point of the year, they are still chilly when compared to July and August.
By Alex Sosnowski, Senior Expert Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com