In Arizona – where a long duration heat wave is expected to persist through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service – the pavement is getting so hot that it is causing burns.
“The temperature of asphalt and pavement and concrete and sidewalks in Arizona on a warm sunny day or summer afternoon is 180 degrees sometimes. I mean, it’s just a little below boiling, so it’s really something,” said Dr. Kevin Foster, director of burn services at the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health, per CNN.
He said it doesn’t even take one second for a severe burn to form under these conditions. As of July 24, all 45 beds at the Arizona Burn Center were full and one-third of the patients had burned themselves on the ground. Around half of the burn patients in the medical facility’s ICU were there due to getting burned during falls.
“Summers are our busy season, so we anticipate that this sort of thing is going to happen. But this is really unusual — the number of patients that we’re seeing and the severity of injuries — the acuity of injuries is much higher,” said Foster. “The numbers are higher and the seriousness of injuries are higher, and we don’t have a good explanation for it.”
This year has brought record temperatures around the globe, and Arizona is already known for its heat. According to Visit Arizona, the average high temperature from June to August is 105 degrees and the average low is 82 degrees. This weekend, the National Weather Service predicted there could be a low of 84 Sunday and a high of 116 Saturday.
“On a hot day, asphalt can easily be 40 to 60 degrees hotter than the air, some studies show,” CNN said. “Last Thursday, the air temperature reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit. Phoenix had six consecutive days at or above 115 degrees by Saturday; the streak ended Sunday, with high temperatures reaching only 114 degrees.”
Earlier this month, AZ Family reported on a “cool pavement” program that includes sealing pavement in order to keep it around 10 degrees cooler. Reactions to the project have been mixed.
For those in the Phoenix area – or other places struggling with high temperatures, including Los Angeles, Calif. – Arizona Central has compiled some tips for staying safe.
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