Keeping cool despite record-breaking heat

If you’re thinking you’ve never felt a summer this hot in the Triangle, you would be right.

Raleigh’s average temperature for June was the hottest on record, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Ellis. This year’s July was tied for the second hottest in the books.

“We’ll get 100 degree days every summer,” Ellis said, “but how long the heat’s been sustained has been unusual.”

He said high pressure systems and winds bring warm, dry air from the Mississippi region and humidity from over the Gulf of Mexico. And although this year’s heat was record-breaking, local professionals have learned how to deal.

COLD STONE CREAMERY

Christina Miller, manager of Cold Stone Creamery’s Durham store at 6917 Fayetteville Road, said people screamed for ice cream during unusually high temperatures.

“Business picked up a lot more, probably 10 percent more than last summer,” she said. “It’s been crowded, and a lot of people are coming in that are new customers.”

But the Franklin Street store, whose customer base is largely University students, saw fewer customers come in than in the previous year, said shift leader Kara Wynne.

“I don’t know that we’ve been affected by the heat,” Wynne said. “We’re mostly affected by students being out of town.”

But she said the heat has made it harder to keep the ice cream cold.

“When we do outdoor events, the ice cream melts a lot quicker,” Wynne said. “We have to take different measures to keep it cool, like packing it differently.”

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

This summer hasn’t been unusual in terms of how many heat-related health problems emergency services has had to treat, said Director of Orange County Emergency Services Col. Frank Montes de Oca.

“We haven’t seen an upsurge to speak of this year,” he said. “It seems like people are heeding our advice and staying hydrated and not mowing their lawns in the middle of the afternoon and things like that.”

Montes de Oca said the heat most strongly affects the very young and very old, as well as people with medical problems.

He said the department takes steps to ensure that emergency response workers beat the heat, such as holding outdoor training sessions indoors.

“In years past folks have gotten overheated,” Montes de Oca said. “We tell them that by the time you feel dehydrated, it’s too late to hydrate yourself.”

MAPLE VIEW FARM

Maple View Farm has certainly felt the heat, said farm manager Mike Stroud.

The farm, located in Orange County, lost 30 percent of its corn crop to the unforgiving temperatures. Stroud said milk and hay production were also down due to the hot, dry weather.

“I think this is the hottest summer I can remember,” Stroud said. “It’s been much worse than past summers.
“We’ve lost some milk production because the heat’s rough on the cows.”

The farm’s distribution company, Maple View Farm Milk Company, supplies a milk mix to its local ice cream stores in Hillsborough and Carrboro. The stores use the product to create ice cream on site.

Stroud said the farm’s workers have been careful to take care of themselves to avoid being negatively affected by the heat.

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