Schuylkill County residents should be prepared for upcoming summer weather.
"It should be a below-average season, but sometimes the worst hurricanes come in these below-average seasons. We try to make sure people don't let their guard down," Charles Ross, meteorologist at the National Weather Service, State College, said.
The NWS doesn't look past the seven day forecast much, but Ross said the next couple of weeks don't look terribly hot and the temperature shouldn't reach too far above 80 degrees.
"We may have a fairly typical summer. There have been no major heat waves yet. The start to this summer is on the slower side. Some years we are already in summer weather," Ross said. "But all it takes is one hurricane, even though it doesn't look like an active year."
Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Peak months are generally August and September, but bad weather associated with hurricanes can occur at any time.
"The worst flood in Pennsylvania history came in late June with Hurricane Agnus," Ross said.
The 1972 hurricane lasted from June 14 to June 24, with the heaviest rain on June 21 and 22. Harrisburg received more than 15 inches of rain, Williamsburg received 12 inches and State College received 8 and a half, Ross said.
"The official forecast that the National Weather Service is using is based on the factors of El Nino developing," Ross said. "It just depends how the weather patterns shape up. The forecast for the next three months is generally equal chances. There are no strong signals for how they are going to play out over the summer."
Hurricanes can have devastating effects on inland areas including Pennsylvania's Schuylkill County.
"We have to worry about winds with a dying hurricane through Pennsylvania, power outages, trees falling and roof damages," Ross said.
Ross suggested that people pay attention to storm warnings.
With the summer sun comes high temperatures. When vacationing, many forget to take care of themselves throughout the day.
Emergency rooms see many heat-related illnesses over the summer like dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
"When the humidity is high, it is harder for the body to regulate heat," Kyle Kaulback, emergency room physician at Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street, said.
Kaulback said people should stay hydrated. Some people are prone to heat-related illnesses and can take medications that help the body regulate heat, he said. There is a scale of effects from the heat. The first stage would be dehydration, where the individual will feel generally poor. The second is heat exhaustion, where the individual is not only dehydrated but will start to feel incredibly weak and fatigued. The third is heat stroke, where the individual's temperature goes up above a reasonable level and they experience symptoms like delirium and muscle breakdown problems.
Depending on the severity of the illness, the majority of individuals are seen, treated and discharged from the ER within a few hours. More severe cases have to stay in the hospital short term, overnight or long term until symptoms improve.
"We also see a lot of issues related to sun exposure," Kaulback said. "Oftentimes people don't realize sunburn happens until it is too late."
Kaulback said vacationers should take precautions before the trip, such as avoiding sunburn before they get there by always using sunscreen and reapplying often.
"They should realize they will be exposed to the sun a lot. Think about things like hydration and taking breaks from physical activities and taking breaks if they aren't used to it," he said.
Kaulback said another factor in dehydration is alcohol, which causes a person to lose water faster.
"When people go on vacation, their alcohol intake may increase above normal levels," he said.
People are much more active during the summer, so the emergency room also sees more injuries, Kaulback said.
Football players and other fall athletes may not be ready for the late summer training season.
Along with the injuries football players may experience, they can experience heat-related illnesses much easier. They go to football camp in August after not doing much all summer, so their bodies are not prepared for the hard work in the heat that they go through, Kaulback said.
"In August, we will often see high school football players who are other wise young and healthy people come to the ER with heat exhaustion because they are exercising for long periods of time in the heat," Kaulback said.
Kaulback hasn't seen any of these problems this year yet, but as the weather gets warmer, the chances increase.
Summer weather can also affect vehicles not taken for maintenance often.
"Have your belts and hoses checked and cooling systems flushed," Greg Weiland, owner of Greg's Auto, Port Carbon, said.
Heat affects belts and hoses, especially when people go on long trips more often during the summer, Weiland said.
"The biggest thing is probably the cooling system. People are worried about their antifreeze during the winter, but they don't think about antifreeze during summer so their car overheats," Weiland said.
Last summer, Weiland saw many customers who neglected their cooling system, which causes a head gasket to blow. Depending on the type of vehicle, fixing a head gasket can cost, on average, $1,500, Weiland said.