Excessive Heat Watch

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 122 PM MST SAT AUG 4 2012 .EXCESSIVE HEAT WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. THIS EPISODE OF EXCESSIVE HEAT MAY BE PROLONGED FROM MONDAY THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. NORTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-GREATER PHOENIX AREA- SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY- NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BUCKEYE...NEW RIVER...WICKENBURG... MESA...PHOENIX...GILA BEND...APACHE JUNCTION...CASA GRANDE... FLORENCE 122 PM MST SAT AUG 4 2012 ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. * AFFECTED AREA...THE SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA DESERT AREAS OF MARICOPA AND NORTHWEST PINAL COUNTIES. THIS INCLUDES THE GREATER PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA...AS WELL AS GILA BEND AND CASA GRANDE. * TEMPERATURE...AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM 110 TO 115 DEGREES...WHILE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY BRIEFLY FALL BELOW 90 DEGREES OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. * IMPACTS...THESE EXCESSIVELY HOT TEMPERATURES CAN BE STRESSFUL TO HUMANS...AS WELL AS ANIMALS WITHOUT PROPER PRECAUTIONS. THE WARM OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES AND PROLONGED PERIODS OF TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 110 DEGREES DO NOT ALLOW SUFFICIENT COOLING OF THE BODY...AND CAN LEAD TO HEAT STRESS OR HEAT STROKE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE...RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. IF YOU WEAR A WIDE-BRIMMED HAT...YOUR HEAD AND BODY WILL BE MUCH COOLER. TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK...THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY...CALL 9 1 1.