By Steve Grazier and
Kiera Manion-Fischer

Maybe we’re just getting used to this dripping-wet heat.

Tuesday saw a record high of 98, but area hospital and emergency care facilities aren’t reporting a surge in heat-related ailments.

Chippewa Lake resident Deanna Hurst and her dog, Max, cool off while playing fetch Wednesday morning at the lake. Hurst said heading to the water on a hot day is the norm. “He’ll pretty much swim anywhere we go,” she said. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY STEVE GRAZIER)

Mark Phillips, director of operations for the Life Support Team, described Tuesday as a “pretty slow day.”

He said emergency services were called for several people who had fainted or passed out, but those calls couldn’t be attributed with certainty to the heat.

Phillips said the support team, which serves Medina, and Medina and Montville townships, did not receive any calls about people who were specifically suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

“I think it’s because people are paying attention to the warnings and the things they see on television,” he said. “There’s probably more people that end up with problems on days that aren’t so obviously hot,” he added.

Dr. Gregory Smith, emergency physician for Summa Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital and Summa Lake Medina, agreed that the word appears to be getting out on how to stay cool and safe during extreme heat.

“This heat hasn’t really snuck up on people; it’s been around, and they’re staying hydrated and in the house,” he said.

In addition to drinking an adequate amount of nonalcoholic beverages and remaining indoors, Smith advised people to schedule their trips and daily routines around the excessive heat.

“It’s a good idea if people do their errands and running around in the late morning or evening to stay cooler,” he said.

Brunswick and Wadsworth emergency services also did not get any specific heat-related calls Tuesday, according to dispatchers.

The record high was recorded at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

The previous high was 96 degrees on July 17, 1942.

The average high temperature for July 17 is 83 degrees, weather service meteorologist William Comeaux said.

“The Northeast Ohio air has been stagnant most of the summer,” Comeaux said. “We’re just not getting much of that cool Canadian air from the north right now.”

Comeaux said scattered thunderstorms are predicted for today through Sunday and should provide some relief from the heat.

“It should cool down some and even hit near-normal temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s,” Comeaux said.

Contact Steve Grazier at (330) 721-4012 or sgrazier@medina-gazette.com and Kiera Manion-Fischer at (330) 721-4049 or kfischer@medina-gazette.com.