Locals and visitors look for relief from heat wave

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) —  The heat and humidity was definitely felt today across the area becoming dangerous this afternoon. Extreme heat has been building over the last few days and is not expected to let up anytime soon.

A hot summer day may be an understatement.

Allison Abernethy and her husband are visiting the Oak Island area and said they went for a morning walk before the intense heat set in.

“Seems like there is a nice breeze out today so we will hit the beach and kind of stay down there for the rest of the day and swim in the ocean,” Abernethy said.

Edward Cokley are on vacation in the area too. He says you have keep an eye out for how much time you’re spending outside.

“We got plenty of water and drinks,” Cokley said. “I got my hat, shades, and I’m just watching the time even though we have all that, we still limit our time out here because it could be dangerous.”

Under the high steamy sun, conditions met the heat advisory criteria meaning “feels like” temperatures are expected to be 100 degrees or higher for at least two days.

Staci Smith and her family are spending much of their vacation outside, but she says they are taking plenty of breaks in between.

“Today we went to go play put-put, then we took a break and had lunch, now we are going to stay out here a little bit, not too much,” Smith said.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington showed the impacts from the extreme heat by trying to cook cookies in car. In the matter of a few hours, the temperature inside climbed near 150 degrees.

Make sure to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated this week as this heat wave will hold strong through the next several days.

“Even though the wind is blowing, people still need to be careful from sunburn, dehydration, stuff like that,” Smith said.

Heat related deaths are preventable so when you’re outside this week make sure you stay hydrated, take breaks in the shade as much as possible. It’s also important to check up on the elderly, sick, pets, and those without AC.