MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Temperatures are on a record rise in South Florida.
Heat indices are well into the triple digits and its brutal temperatures have now prompted Excessive Heat Warnings in Miami-Dade and Broward counties until Friday evening.
For athletes like Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Frankie Tinilau, training for the season is crucial, but with conditions like these, experts recommend drinking plenty of fluids or staying in an air-conditioned room and out of the sun.
“When working out there this morning, you could definitely feel that heat coming in,” Tinilau told Local 10 News. “I feel like today was really that dry heat and it was really just burning us, so we wrapped it up and went inside.”
Local 10 News also spoke with construction workers at a Mobil car wash in Miami, who said working inside isn’t an option, other than hydrating and protecting their skin from the sun.
The outside workers are exposed to extreme conditions and are just hoping their precautions will be enough to keep them safe.
The recent heat wave has fueled protests outside the Miami-Dade County Government building Tuesday, calling for action to protect outdoors workers exposed to dangerous heat.
Their demands were answered Tuesday as Miami-Dade County commissioners unanimously passed a preliminary measure to adopt a heat standard for workers.
In the meantime, with the summer heat reaching record temperatures, South Florida residents have likely also noticed changes to our waterways.
Residents spotted algae blooms along Indian Creek and 29th Street on Miami Beach. The picture below shows another bloom at a Coral Gables canal.
“Summertime is a more active time for algae blooms. Specifically, blue-green algae, they kind of prefer the warmer temperatures,” said Local 10 also spoke with Tom Frankovich, an Associate Research Professor at Florida International University.
He says if you are to spot any algae on the surface, use common sense and steer clear.
“If we see surface scum on the water, it is not a good idea to be swimming in that water and you should probably keep your pets away from that because there is a possibility of it from being harmful,” said Frankovich.
Dr. Hany Atallah, a Chief Medical Officer at Jackson Memorial Hospital gave advice to anyone that starts to feel symptoms of heat exhaustion.
“You really want to look out for starting to feel very dizzy, nauseous, you might have some vomiting. Those are the initial signs that people will have when they come down with heat exhaustion,” he said.
Atallah says it’s important to recognize symptoms early on to prevent them from escalating any further.
“Other than the temperature, you start having things like liver injury, neurological injury, and those are the things that become life-threatening,” he added.
He also says to keep a watchful eye over young children, elderly people with a medical condition, and pregnant women, because they are considered to be the most at risk.