Residents of San Diego were taking advantage of water play, hiking, and other outdoor activities to cool down during the recent heat wave.
SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) — The sun is beaming over San Diego during one of the first heat waves of the summer.
“We came here to Civita Park. They enjoy looking at all the bunnies on the way up to the park, and when it’s hot out, we like to come to the splash pad,” said Emily Carlson.
Emily Carlson’s mom hack of the day was putting sunscreen on her three daughters and tiring them ahead of nap time.
She wasn’t alone; several other parents filled the splash pad.
Splash pads and hitting the coastline are two suggestions from Kaiser Permanente family doctor Heidi Meyer for ways to cool down.
“Water helps us cool off. So, if we’re constantly kind of reinforcing that evaporative cooling off of our skin, we’re going to stay cooler, we’re going to be more comfortable, everyone is going to be at less risk,” Meyer said.
Heading east, people packed Cowles Mountain before the hottest part of the day.
“I have my hat. I use my long sleeves, my water…water…so it doesn’t bother me at all,” said Martha Briggs.
At the trailhead, hikers were greeted with warning signs for themselves and their furry friends.
“There are some dog owners who really don’t get the concept of this heat. I had a friend who posted on Facebook and said, ‘Come on, imagine it’s 100 degrees outside. [It’s] hot for you [and] it’s even hotter for your dog. Imagine crawling up Cowles Mountain,'” Briggs said.
Meyer explained that despite having enough water, even the fittest person has a limit when it comes to cooling themselves down.
She said signs of heat exhaustion can be feeling tired or turning red. Heat stroke can cause people to behave in an unusual manner.
She said they cannot talk, think, or hold themselves up, and that hiking can be particularly risky in the heat.
“That is because hikes have elevation changes and they tend to really involve a lot of unpredictable weather components. So it’s not unusual for a hiker to set out on a hike and have a 30-degree temperature increase within an hour or two of them setting out,” said Dr. Meyer.
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