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High temperatures threaten health, strain local railway
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Pichaya Punyashthiti, visiting from Thailand, splashes water on her face as she takes relief from the heat Monday on the National Mall.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Near-record heat in the D.C. area Monday created critical health problems for residents, buckled the track on a local railway, and left area residents and visitors desperately seeking cool comfort.
“I’m going to get a cold beer, jump on a Metro, get some large, two-liter sodas, get the AC on, and DVD myself to death after this,” said Jimmie Routt of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District. “I can’t remember the last time it’s been this hot this early.”
Kimberly Gibbs, a spokeswoman for Innova Fairfax, said that since the weekend, the hospital has admitted more than two dozen people with heat-related illnesses. Most of the patients were suffering from heat exhaustion, a potentially fatal condition in which an individual’s body temperature rises so swiftly that the person becomes dizzy and lethargic.
“We’re attributing that to there not being a gradual rise in the heat,” she said.
Washington Hospital Center officials said Monday that one patient came in with heat exhaustion, and D.C. fire officials responded to several heat illness-related calls.
The high temperatures buckled tracks on the MARC Camden line in Maryland, shutting down trains between the Dorsey and St. Denis stops for 30 minutes Monday afternoon, officials said.
“A sun kink in the rails caused by the heat has developed,” a MARC news release said.
The sun threatened to kink the brains of some visitors.
Heather Cordell, who was furiously fanning her 4-year-old daughter, Hailey, said, “I’m from Seattle, and it is 50 degrees there. I want to be there.”
But Diana Deluca, of Salt Lake City, took the blast furnace temperatures in stride, despite having left home in a sweat shirt for a day touring the mall.
“It is hot out here, but it is a beautiful city,” she said. “I’m glad to be here.”
The high Monday was 97 degrees in Washington, with a heat index of 103 late Monday afternoon, but according to meteorologist Andrew Ulrich of AccuWeather.com, the highest temperatures may not have arrived yet.
A heat advisory has been issued through 8 p.m. Wednesday, when a cold front is expected to break the scorching weather.
The high today in D.C. is expected to be 96, with a heat index of 105, according to Ulrich. The cooler weather expected in the evening may not offer complete relief, as meteorologists anticipate thunderstorms as well.
Both Dominion Virginia Power and Baltimore Gas and Electric issued electric power advisories Monday resulting from the heat. Pepco reported power outages throughout the day in the D.C. area, according to spokesman Robert Dobkin.
“More than likely, the heat was a factor,” he said.
Examiner photographer Andrew Harnik contributed to this report.
dsherfinski@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:08 PM MST on Mon., Jul. 7, 2008 re: "High temperatures expected to last throughout the week"
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12:35 PM MST on Fri., Jun. 13, 2008
re: "Storm leaves thousands without power, closes several schools in Baltimore area"
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6:05 AM MST on Thu., Jun. 5, 2008
re: "Heavy rain, winds leave thousands without power"
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6:29 PM MST on Tue., May. 13, 2008
re: "O’Malley turns weatherman after emergency briefing"
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10:08 AM MST on Tue., May. 13, 2008
re: "O’Malley turns weatherman after emergency briefing"
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4:27 AM MST on Tue., May. 13, 2008
re: "O’Malley turns weatherman after emergency briefing"
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7:55 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 14, 2008
re: "Va. to scrutinize ice-clearing strategy after icy highways overwhelm crews"
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re: "Va. to scrutinize ice-clearing strategy after icy highways overwhelm crews"
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4:37 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 14, 2008
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7:37 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008
re: "Today's weather: More of the same"
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4:20 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Baltimore braces as forecasters predict prolonged cold weather"
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9:51 AM MST on Fri., Jan. 4, 2008
re: "Alameda-Oakland ferry cancels morning trips"
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MrHyphy said:
Time to chill on the block with a tank top yadadafeel me?
8 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Was the tree in the picture cut down? There is no breakage on the tree and looks like it was taken down by a chain saw.
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Let's not forget those of us that were stranded because MTA doesn't have a proper back up plan for light rail interuptions. Dozens of people waited for their chance to crowd onto a shuttle bus, maybe 3 showed up in the hour i waited. When lodging a complaint, the MTA rep. said they do not plan for these things. REALLY? you should always plan for how to get around an interuption in the line. But then again, its the MTA! BTW, what the hell does O'Malley ahve to do with the weather? Everyone seems to be all up in arms about relating him to the storm damage. It's an act of nature, or as some might say, an act of GOD lol. if so, GOD does not seem to be happy with those that are close minded lately.
12 agree | 10 disagree
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Steven Lessner said:
O'malley,busch,and miller would all be typical weatherman where they could lie to the public.Between the state liars and shelia dixon and her corrupt adminstration it's a race to see who can steal more tax dollars. Dixon's adminstration does a pretty good job of stealing since most of her people are black.Instead of giving a tax break she wants to give raises to her people while other people in the private sector are losing their jobs let's give raises and screw the people in the city. Dixon doesn't care about the city of baltimore, one of the most violent in the country.Just as O'Malley could care less about Maryland,this is not the "FREE STATE" anymore it's should be renamed the expensive state that has the most laws in the nation.
11 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
O'Malley would make a better weather man than he is a politician. He could lie about the weather and blame it on Bob Ehrlich and global warming.
11 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Had it not been for global warming there would be 40 inches of snow laying on the ground right now with many people losing thier lives!
9 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Was the issue with VDOT and /or the lack of the national /local reporting
150 agree | 171 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Virginia definitely doesn't know how to handle this type of weather, let alone do Virginia drivers know how to drive. Being from Indiana, it cracks me up to see places of business closing down because the weather report says there's a chance of snow. People need to slow down and remember what driver's ed taught them, it'll save lives.
157 agree | 162 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Cabin fever!!!
158 agree | 131 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The problem is that Virginia does not know how to handle winter weather. It's not just highways. "It was a perfect storm at a perfect time..."? Gimme a break. Just own up to not having enough DOT trucks, and to not having an efficient plan when snow/ice falls. There certainly are plenty of other states that deal with snow/ice every year, yet they don't seem to have these issues. It's amazing really.
163 agree | 157 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
ok
179 agree | 186 disagree
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Tinker said:
Just think how much colder it would be if "AL" had not invented global warming!
200 agree | 173 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Actually, there was also a 7:05 ferry from Oakland to SF that I was on - what a wild ride!
227 agree | 210 disagree
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