...ARKLATEX TEMPERATURE AND HEAT CASUALTY
STATISTICS...


EXTREME HEAT DURING THE SUMMERTIME ACROSS THE ARKLATEX IS
COMMON...BUT IT CAN ALSO BE DEADLY. EXTREME HEAT FOR THE ARKLATEX
IS GENERALLY DEFINED WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE THE AVERAGE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE AND HEAT INDICES REACH 105 DEGREES OR HIGHER.

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES DURING THE SUMMER ACROSS THE ARKLATEX GENERALLY
AVERAGE AROUND 92 DEGREES DURING THE MONTHS OF JUNE THROUGH AUGUST.
HOWEVER THERE CAN BE SEVERAL DAYS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MONTHS OF
JULY AND AUGUST...WHEN THE TEMPERATURES CAN EXCEED 100 DEGREES.

HEAT BY FAR IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF ALL WEATHER EVENTS...
AVERAGING OVER 200 DEATHS A YEAR NATIONWIDE.  FOR THE ARKLATEX...
DURING THE PAST 7 YEARS...61 HEAT RELATED DEATHS WERE RECORDED WHILE
30 DEATHS WERE RECORDED FOR ALL OTHER DEADLY WEATHER EVENTS.

MOST HEAT RELATED FATALITIES OCCUR DURING A TIME WHEN THERE ARE
SEVERAL DAYS OF EXTREME HEAT.  THIS IS CALLED A HEAT WAVE.
THE LAST SIGNIFICANT HEAT WAVE TO AFFECT THE ARKLATEX WAS IN 1998.
IN THAT YEAR THERE WERE 66 HEAT RELATED DEATHS IN TEXAS...20 IN
LOUISIANA...24 IN OKLAHOMA...AND 2 IN ARKANSAS.

MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE DEATHS ARE LOCATED IN PERMANENT
HOMES...WHERE THE PERSON IS ELDERLY...OR CAN NOT AFFORD AIR
CONDITIONING. PEOPLE OVER 60 GENERALLY ACCOUNT FOR OVER HALF
OF THE HEAT RELATED DEATHS.

LIVING IN THE ARKLATEX WE CAN NOT AVOID THE EXTREME HEAT...HOWEVER
WE CAN TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND PREPARE. WE SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO CHECK
ON AND ASSIST THE ELDERLY AND THE POOR...AS THEY ARE MOST LIKELY TO
SUCCUMB TO THE EXTREME HEAT.