The Golden State of California has it all. It’s home to many, hosts popular attractions, has a variety of diverse cultures and has a booming entertainment industry. What makes it stand out amongst other states, more or less, is its hot and sunny weather.
Recently, Southern California has experienced rising temperatures above the historical average of the state. This heatwave is only one of many to come, “due to Earth’s changing climate,” NASA said.
Friday, Sept. 6 was the hottest day recorded during the recent heatwave in Los Angeles with a maximum temperature of 105 degrees.
“The other few days [of the heatwave] felt like Florida. It was very humid, very hot. And it felt kind of unbearable to walk or do anything,” senior Justin Goldstein said.
Goldstein was concerned about his two “fluffy dogs” due to the rising temperatures in Beverly Hills. He states, “They have very large coats, and I didn’t want them to overheat. I just got really concerned for them.”
Coincidentally, Beverly’s weekly football game landed on the hottest day. Football players, cheerleaders, and other participants of the game had to bear the rising temperatures.
With the game being pushed back 30 minutes later to avoid safety issues, Cheer coach Jimmie Sanford wasn’t too concerned about the weather conditions of Friday’s game.
“I think this is something that they have to go out there and still have spirit and still uplift everybody, and not let it show that they’re [hot]. So I think if anything, it’s good, it’s going to be good for them. No matter what the situation is, we still have to, you know, if that’s what we’re there for to uplift everybody and keep everybody positive.” Sanford said.
All athletic sports were prohibited from practicing out in the field during the heatwave.
Sophomore Amara Ash practices volleyball during the sixth period. She recalls her afterschool experience during the heatwave, “Last week was really hot. They had to cancel some volleyball practices.” Ash said. “We canceled volleyball practice on Friday, and honestly, we just stayed in the gym the whole sixth period.”
According to the National Weather Service, “In the U.S., extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer, causing more deaths than hurricanes and floods,” as reported by NASA.
Humans can only withstand up to 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit of wet-bulb temperatures. Wet-bulb temperatures refers to a method where temperature is measured with a thermometer enclosed in a wet-cloth. This method is used to determine how the human body cools down with sweat.
With humid temperatures, our body has “less capacity to hold additional moisture, so water evaporates more slowly in humid conditions,” NASA stated.
“I think it’s kind of a little bit concerning, [to] people who do sports, especially on the field, type of sports. It is really hot, and a lot of people could get injured [in] some type of way from the sun,” sophomore Khyliah Henderson said. “I play an indoor sport. I play volleyball, but it was still very hot because there is no AC [in the gym], so we had to take breaks,” Henderson said.
The American Meteorological Society reports, “Southern California is no stranger to extreme heat, but persistently humid heatwaves still test the adaptability limits of its residents.”
Temperatures in Beverly Hills have cooled down to 20 degrees in the past few days. Residents of Beverly Hills are expectant of hot weather, but increased temperatures draw concern to those who are accustomed to its usual consistent weather patterns.
“I think we get a little spoiled with weather, because it hardly ever rains. So when it rains, if it rains for more than two days we don’t really prepare for that kind of weather. So the same thing with the heat. We were used to it in the warm and comfortable, but when it’s too hot…” Cheer coach Sanford said.
