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DHS says know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke

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With the hottest temperatures of the year in much of the state, it’s important to know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include faintness or dizziness, excessive sweating with cool, pale clammy skin, nausea or vomiting, rapid, weak pulse and muscle cramps. In that situation, you should move to a cooler air conditioned place, drink water, or take a cool shower or use cold compresses.

Heat stroke includes a throbbing headache, no sweating, and a body temperature above103 degrees with red hot, dry skin, nausea or vomiting, and a rapid, strong pulse. Heat stroke victims may also lose consciousness. In those situations, call 911 and take immediate action to cool the person until help arrives. Find more at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Facebook page.

Community cooling shelters are opening across Wisconsin to help people during the heatwave. Numerous communities have listed locations where people who don’t have access to air conditioning can come and cool down. That includes public libraries, community centers, churches and other public spaces. Heat indices in southern Wisconsin are projected to hit the triple digits on Wednesday.

NWS offers tips to beat the heat this week

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Be safe as extremely hot temperatures move through Wisconsin this week. National Weather Service Meteorologist Richard Mamrosh said you should keep an eye on loved ones in the heat.

“Check on older people that might live alone, that don’t have air conditioning, make sure they’re okay. Don’t leave kids or pets in a hot car.”

Mamrosh said if you don’t have to be outside, don’t go outside. “It would be better to, you know, do those activities early in the morning, like shortly after sunrise or just before sunset. Because during the late afternoon hours, that’s when the heat indices will be highest.”

Parts of southern Wisconsin could see heat indices into the triple digits Wednesday and Thursday. Communities across the region have made cooling centers available.

USDA natural disaster declaration for Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas counties

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Three additional counties in Wisconsin have been declared natural disaster areas due to drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought, according to a news release from the USDA’s Ashland office. Burnett, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn counties are eligible as contiguous counties. All are in northwest Wisconsin.

The designation allows the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend emergency loans to meet recovery needs. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season ranging from “exceptional” to “severe” for eight or more consecutive weeks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a disaster declaration for 18 southern Wisconsin counties because of drought conditions that started on July 4. The main counties identified were Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Jefferson and Sauk counties, with the surrounding counties also eligible under the declaration.

Weekend rain a welcome sight, but we’ll need more to break the drought says NWS

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The rain Wisconsin has been seeing over the last few days is a welcome sight.

National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Mamrosh says it might not be enough for some. 

“Some locations will get a half inch to perhaps an inch of rain, which will help crops that are starting to grow like corn and soybeans, but it’s not going to make an appreciable difference in the soil moisture across the area.”

Mamrosh says the rain we’ve gotten amounts to sprinkles when it comes to the ongoing drought. 

“That’s certainly going to help people’s lawns get green again. And it’ll help farmers that have some crops planted. But unless we get some more rain in the next week or two, it’s not going to make much of a difference as far as long-term drought prospects go.”

Parts of the state could see another inch of rain before the weather system moves on this week. 

Wisconsin DNR warns of elevated fire danger this week

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Current fire danger is High across most of Wisconsin after an extended period of dry weather. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, contributing factors include warm temperatures, very low relative humidity and wind. Much of the state has not had any rain in the past 10 days. In addition, the rain that was received prior was minimal. The WisBurn Fire Map provides updated fire risks for all 72 counties.  

The DNR and local fire departments responded to over 90 wildfires in the last week, burning an estimated 30 acres. Fortunately, annual green-up progressed across most of the state, and the winds have been light. Suppression crews have been successful with attacking fires quickly, minimizing fire growth.    

Moisture levels in vegetation are declining and becoming more prone to wildfire starts. This week’s weather conditions will continue to elevate fire danger. The DNR will suspend burn permits in critical areas where the DNR regulates outdoor burning.

The public should also be reminded to:

  • Keep an eye on the changing fire danger this week.
  • Avoid burning, especially debris piles, until we get a good soaking rain.
  • Conduct activities that cause sparks early in the morning or later in the day to avoid peak burn times (e.g., wood cutting, lawn mowing, farming, recreational vehicles, parking hot exhaust systems on dry grass, etc.).

A weather system moving in from the west may bring some relief to the northwest part of the state. There will be brief chances of light precipitation for the next few days, but that system will struggle to move east across Wisconsin and is unlikely to generate meaningful, widespread rainfall.

Watch for buckling pavement as temps rise this week

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Watch for buckling pavement as temperatures rise this week. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is advising motorists to be alert and cautious, with hot temperatures forecast throughout the state creating conditions for pavement buckling to occur.

 

It’s difficult to predict if, or where, pavement buckling may occur, but drivers can check 511wi.gov for the latest incidents or delays. Live video feeds are now available via the 511 Wisconsin traffic cameras.​

DNR urges snowmobile safety

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources urges safe snowmobiling. The DNR reports five snowmobile fatalities so far this month and urges all snowmobile operators to make safety the top priority for every ride.

The five fatalities involved single adult operators, ranging from 42 to 68 years old. Four of the five victims were men. These crashes are under investigation.

WPS clears utility crews to head south to work on hurricane relief efforts

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Wisconsin Public Service is gearing up to help those affected by Hurricane Ian in Florida and the southeast.

WPS Spokesman Matt Cullen says contracted crews that usually help WPS are instead being sent south. 

“Instead of having them remain with us and continue to perform work on our behalf, we again have released them so that they can assist with this restoration effort and be part of it.”

Millions of people are without power across Florida, and that number will likely increase as Ian travels across the east coast.

“It’s something that we’re continuing to closely monitor because there could be an additional request that would go out for additional crews, perhaps even our own to be able to assist with this effort,” says Cullen.

Forecasters say Ian is likely to make landfall once again near Charleston, South Carolina on Friday.

NWS confirms 6 tornadoes in Wisconsin from Wednesday weather

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A total of six tornadoes have been confirmed as a result of Wednesday’s severe weather in Wisconsin.

As of Friday morning the National Weather Service in Green Bay confirmed EF1 tornados in Seymour in Outagamie County and West Bloomfield in Waushara County, as well as a tornado in Silver Cliff in Marinette County.

In western Wisconsin, the Weather Service’s La Crosse office confirmed EF1 tornados in La Farge in Vernon County and Mauston in Juneau County, and an EF2 in Wyeville in Monroe County.

Weather Service crews also planned to survey damage and determine whether more tornadoes touched down in other locations.

September is National Preparedness Month

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September is National Preparedness Month. Andrew Beckett with Wisconsin Emergency Management explains the goal:

“To get people to think about the ways that they can ‘prepare to protect.’ Prepare to protect themselves, the ones they love, their property. Basically all the steps they can take in order to make sure that they are protected in the event an emergency takes place.”

Beckett says you can find preparedness resources can be found online at Ready Wisconsin, and   through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Ready.Gov” campaign.

This year’s theme for National Preparedness Month is “prepare to protect.”