Tuesday marked the unofficial hottest day on record for the whole world. That’s according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.
It reported the planet’s average daily temperature climbed to almost 63 degrees Fahrenheit, and there was no relief on Wednesday in Southwest Florida as the “feels like” temperatures were over 100 degrees.
With temperatures that hot, pavement and rooftops can easily reach 140 degrees.
Earnest Mendoza is a roofer and said the weather on his team has been brutal.
“It’s been pretty tough. You really feel the heat, and it really hits you, and it’s humid as well,” Mendoza said.
He is making sure he and his co-workers are staying hydrated.
“We drink about a gallon of water until 2 o’clock. If we work longer, then we drink more,” he said.
But overdoing it is sending many people to Lee Health’s Cape Coral emergency room.
On Wednesday, Dr. Timothy Dougherty said he had just started his shift, and his first three patients suffered from heat-related illnesses.
Dr. Dougherty warned most patients have been suffering from heat exhaustion and cramps but warns too much time in the sun without hydrating can be deadly.
“The chance of survival with heat stroke is less than 50/50,” Dr. Dougherty noted.
Meteorologist Jason Dunning said the worst of the hot weather could be yet to come.
“We’ve got a huge plume of Saharan dust that will move across the Atlantic. Sometimes that actually helps to give temperatures a boost,” Dunning noted.
He said the Gulf breeze is doing little to cool things down.
“It’s starting to feel like a hot tub there in the Gulf waters. Even if you get the sea breeze off the Gulf, if it’s blowing off a water temperature of 90 — that’s not going to do a whole lot to bring relief from the heat,” Dunning said.
He stressed that a strong afternoon shower may be the only way to cool things down.