Royal Oak Deals with Record Temps, Heat Advisory

Royal Oak residents coped with the record-breaking heat today by taking their regular activities a little slower and finding cool places to spend time. 

With a heat advisory issued until Wednesday night, temperatures in Metro Detroit hit 94 degrees at 3 p.m. today, breaking the 43-year-old record for June 7 by 1 degree, the National Weather Service said. Overnight low temperatures will only drop to the low 70s, providing little relief from the daytime heat, and soar into the upper 90s tomorrow with the high temperatures and humidity combining to make it feel like 95-100 degrees.

Strenuous outdoor activity could lead to heat injuries such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion or heat cramps. People prone to heat stress – such as the very young, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions – could suffer, especially where no shade or air conditioning is available.

reported a higher than usual number of respiratory cases today, spokeswoman Angela Blazevski said Tuesday afternoon. "There have been no patients treated for heat stroke/exhaustion," she said.

Phil Trierweiler of Birmingham and Chris Brecht of Royal Oak were staying cool at Star Lanes in the new Emagine entertainment complex downtown.

"I suggested doing something outside," said Trierweiler, who's "in insurance" and has the week off work.

"I'm not built for warm weather," said Brecht, a coach and teacher at Orchard Lake St. Mary's who finished work last Friday.

So after talking about hitting a pool or a casino, the friends settled on bowling and beers Tuesday afternoon.

All city recreation programs, including youth baseball, were on as scheduled today, Recreation Director Tod Gazetti said early this afternoon. Coaches and other organizers will make sure everyone is getting enough to drink to stay hydrated in the heat, he said.

Kim Johnson, who runs the concession stand at during baseball season, had a warm evening in mind when she posted to ROSL Facebook followers: "Cold Stone Ice Cream is on sale at the concession stand - as is Gatorade and water! It's a warm one out there!"

The and  were also open for programs today. "We usually spend some time outside but we'll probably pretty much stay inside today," Gazetti said of the after-school activities.

While the city doesn't have official cooling centers, Gazetti said its public buildings are air-conditioned and have drinking fountains so if someone needs to come in out of the heat, they can. 

"We're open until 11 o'clock tonight," he said. "If they kids on the playground need to come in, we're open."

Things were pretty quiet at the  today, reported Paige Gembarski, the senior center and activities coordinator.

"Tuesdays are not real busy days, but tomorrow we will be busy," she said. Most of the seniors who use the center have access to air-conditioning so the center doesn't usually see an influx of people looking to escape the heat when the temperatures rise, Gembarski said.

If you are out and about or without air-conditioning, the best advice to avoid heat-related illness: “Drink plenty of fluids, come in right away if you are not feeling well and do not overexert yourself,” Dr. Jeffrey Ditkoff, an Emergency Center physician at , said when we had our most recent heat advisory a week ago today.

Early signs of heat-related illness are pretty nonspecific, Ditkoff said, such as nausea, vomiting, headache and general malaise. These are pretty general symptoms, but when there is a heat advisory, "We will be looking at these kinds of symptoms with with heat-related illness in the forefront of our minds," he said.

Signs of more severe heat illness include confusion, disorientation, loss of consciousness and seizure, he said.  “The most susceptible are the very young, the very old and those with underlying illnesses, like cancer or kidney failure,” he said.

“Most important is to be very well hydrated – before an activity, during and after,” Ditkoff said. “Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can act as diuretics and worsen dehydration.”

There is no specific amount to drink, but Ditkoff said urine is a good indicator if someone might be dehydrated. “If urine is dark, that’s a sign of dehydration," he said.  

Children and should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. And it's a good idea to check on relatives and neighbors periodically.