WSIL -- As we look ahead to next week, the weather team is tracking the first heat wave of the season, with triple digit heat indices expected.
It's a bit of a jump from what we've seen this week, making it even more important that you make sure you and your loved ones are safe.
Shawnna Rhine from the ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý 7 Health Department says, "Infants and small children, as well as anyone over the age of 65 is at higher risk to develop a heat related illness, as well as people who are on certain medications or even those that are immunocompromised. So if you have those members in your family or if it's you, just be conscious of that."
That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the summertime weather. Instead, make sure to take the time to prepare yourself if you plan to be outdoors. Rhine says to take steps like monitoring the time you spend outside and be conscious of what you wear.
"Make sure that you choose lightweight, light colored, loose fitting clothing while you're out and if you're going to use sunscreen, make sure that is an SPF of 15 or higher and also make sure that you apply that at least thirty minutes prior to going out, so that can get settled into your skin."
Even after taking these steps, it's still important to recognize symptoms for heat related illnesses so you or your loved one can quickly return to a cool or shady area and drink cold water before it gets worse.
"Generally you do see headache, nausea, slight confusion, maybe dizziness, often times the person does have a vomiting situation. In some cases there may be heavy sweating, there skin may be red, cold or even clammy"
For more details about heat safety, the CDC has .Ìý
