Are "heat days" the new "snow days"?

[marylander1940]

Heat wave leads some schools to close or dismiss classes early - The Washington Post

WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM

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Schools across the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast closed or dismissed students early as a heat wave pounded a swath of the country with scorching temperatures.

OP note: can we please invest in AC among other things? 

 

 

[+ DynamicUno]

What's disappointing is the state of the physical plant in many of our school systems. They have AC in the buildings, but the age of the units or years of deferred maintenance means they don't work well or at all.  It's not a new issue, just more visible with the hotter weather we are now experiencing.

[CuriousByNature]

I much prefer heat days to snow days.  Nothing to shovel.

[ICTJOCK]

40 minutes ago, CuriousByNature said:

I much prefer heat days to snow days.  Nothing to shovel.

Well said.

[+ bashful]

Grew up in Detroit,  All through school, 60's-70's, none of my schools had AC.  Nor did our house, so a heat day wouldn't have helped escape much. 

Our school year never ended until later June (once, following a strike before the school year began, July).  Never had a heat day.  I remember some hot days.

[marylander1940]

1 hour ago, bashful said:

Grew up in Detroit,  All through school, 60's-70's, none of my schools had AC.  Nor did our house, so a heat day wouldn't have helped escape much. 

Our school year never ended until later June (once, following a strike before the school year began, July).  Never had a heat day.  I remember some hot days.

Did you laugh at folks down South having "snow days"? 

[Luv2play]

On 9/10/2023 at 10:19 AM, CuriousByNature said:

I much prefer heat days to snow days.  Nothing to shovel.

Actually heat days are more deadly than snow days to elderly people and those with serious health conditions such as heart failure. Many of the people don't have ac in their homes and with climate change and hotter summers are dying as a result.

We all remember rhe heat dome that affected the lower mainland of British Columbia two years ago when more than 600 people died, most of them poor and elderly. Because of their climate in years past most homes do not have ac. 

And for those who think just buy a window unit for your bedroom, it is not so simple. Many were unable to because of rules in the places they lived where the landlords would not permit it.

Very few people freeze to death in Canada except in exceptional circumstances. And they aren't necessarily old.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Luv2play

[CuriousByNature]

3 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Actually heat days are more deadly than snow days to elderly people and those with serious health conditions such as heart failure. Many of the people don't have ac in their homes and with climate change and hotter summers are dying as a result.

We all remember rhe heat dome that affected the lower mainland of British Columbia two years ago when more than 600 people died, most of them poor and elderly. Because of their climate in years past most homes do not have ac. 

And for those who think just buy a window unit for your bedroom, it is not so simple. Many were unable to because of rules in the places they lived where the landlords would not permit it.

Very few people freeze to death in Canada except in exceptional circumstances. And they aren't necessarily old.

It was a tragic situation.  My relatives in BC suffered through the heat dome, some of them in their late 80s.  I understand the problem wasn't so much the daytime heat, but the fact that it didn't cool off enough at night.  Not enough access to cooling centres, and older people not being checked on by neighbours and relatives.

[Luv2play]

3 hours ago, CuriousByNature said:

It was a tragic situation.  My relatives in BC suffered through the heat dome, some of them in their late 80s.  I understand the problem wasn't so much the daytime heat, but the fact that it didn't cool off enough at night.  Not enough access to cooling centres, and older people not being checked on by neighbours and relatives.

Aparently the cooling centres were not that greatvas many of the elderly are too infirm to access them and since most were only open in the day when they emerged the heat adversely affected them and they had to return to hot apartments where they could not sleep properly. 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

In southern California in the 1990s,  I never had a Snow Day but I had several Rain Days where school was cancelled because of too much rain.  My school also implemented "Shorts Days" when it became very warm, so we could wear short pants to school instead of long pants which were required by school dress code on all other days.

Where I work now in Las Vegas, during the summer months we do not have to wear suit jackets and we can forgo neckties until it cools down into the 90s F.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Vegas_Millennial

[BSR]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:16 AM, Luv2play said:

Actually heat days are more deadly than snow days to elderly people and those with serious health conditions such as heart failure. Many of the people don't have ac in their homes and with climate change and hotter summers are dying as a result.

We all remember rhe heat dome that affected the lower mainland of British Columbia two years ago when more than 600 people died, most of them poor and elderly. Because of their climate in years past most homes do not have ac. 

And for those who think just buy a window unit for your bedroom, it is not so simple. Many were unable to because of rules in the places they lived where the landlords would not permit it.

Very few people freeze to death in Canada except in exceptional circumstances. And they aren't necessarily old.

More people die of cold than heat, worldwide there are 9 times more deaths from cold than heat.  Freezing to death is rare.  Cold deaths happen because "cold restricts blood flow to keep our core warm, increasing blood pressure and killing through strokes, heart attacks and respiratory diseases."

That said, heat deaths are increasing and cold deaths are decreasing as temperatures warm.

[+ WilliamM]

There were snow days in the last two  days  in the northeast United States 

In Philadelphia it has been years since we had  this much snow 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

In Southern California and in Las Vegas, both places where high heat is common but rain is infrequent, we have had "rain days" when school was cancelled because of too much rain.  Never a "heat day", though.

Edited January 17, 2024 by Vegas_Millennial