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 itâs hot out, we like to come to the splash pad,” said Emily Carlson.
Emily Carlsonâs mom hack of the day was putting sunscreen on her three daughters and tiring them ahead of nap time.
She wasnât 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 weâre constantly kind of reinforcing that evaporative cooling off of our skin, weâre going to stay cooler, weâre 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.
âI have my hat. I use my long sleeves, my waterâŠwaterâŠso it doesnât bother me at all,” said Martha Briggs.
At the trailhead, hikers were greeted with warning signs for themselves and their furry friends.
âThere are some dog owners who really donât 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] itâs 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.
âThat is because hikes have elevation changes and they tend to really involve a lot of unpredictable weather components. So itâs 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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