Strap in Wagga, if you thought it was a hot one on Wednesday, it’s going to be an absolute scorcher of a week.
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For the rest of the week, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting tops of 41 to 42 degrees.
Mum of three, Emma Fekeila, said her top tips for staying cool was to splash around, wear sun protection and drink your favourite slushies.
Rob Taggart, a duty forecaster for the Bureau of Meteorology, said a heatwave is on its way.
“The way a heatwave is classified you need three consecutive days of very hot weather and very warm nights,” he said.
“It’s an accumulation of heat stress because there is no chance to recover.
“There are three different tiers of heatwave and Wagga is going to get into the Extreme Category.”
Mr Taggart said over the next few nights temperatures could remain at the high twenties, providing little relief from the scorching days.
“There is a weak change moving through late Sunday and into Monday, but it won’t do much, but it will pull the temperature down a bit,” he said.
“It will be 37 degrees for New Year’s Eve.”
Mr Taggart said the current record high for December is 43.2 degrees was in 1953.
“The forecast is not far from that,” he said.
“We do expect some places to break their records.”
On Monday, Oliver, 4, was playing at Wagga Beach with some friends and he had some handy tips.
“Wear a hat, stay indoors and put sunscreen on,” he said.
“Drink lots of water too.”
Dr Jeremy McAnulty, NSW Health executive director, reminded everyone to stay safe and cool and to look after each other.
“People can be unprepared for the first real heat of summer, so this is a reminder of the safety measures we can all take to limit overheating and sun exposure,” he said.
“It’s important to keep up water intake, stay cool and avoid strenuous physical activity in the heat of the day because heat places a lot of strain on the body and cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.”
Dr McAnulty said it was not just the heat which is of concern, but also the ozone pollution is on the rise along with temperatures.
“As ozone can irritate the lungs, people with asthma need to follow their Asthma Action Plan and take their relieving medication where necessary,” he said.
“If symptoms get worse, they need to seek medical advice.”
Dr McAnulty said it was also very important to be aware of other vulnerable members of the community such as the elderly, infants and children, people with a chronic medical condition and those who live by themselves.
The initial signs of heat-related illness may include faintness and dizziness, irritability, thirst, dark urine, headaches and later changes in skin colour, rapid pulse and shallow breathing, vomiting and confusion.
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