Norfolk copes with scorching heat

Since 07-27-05

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Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 2:59 PM
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Subject: Norfolk copes with scorching heat

July 27, 2005

Norfolk copes with scorching heat

By William H. McMichael
NavyTimes staff writer
July 27, 2005


A 100-degree reading on a thermometer in Norfolk confirms the obvious — it’s hot. —
U.S. Navy Photo


NORFOLK, Va. — The teakwood decks of the battleship Wisconsin became so hot today that officials shut down the downtown Norfolk tourist attraction to visitors for the day.How hot? At about noon July 27, a thermometer set on the wooden deck registered 120. An hour later, when the outside temperature reached 100, Navy officials closed the ship, permanently moored at Nauticus, the National Maritime Center.

The oppressive conditions affected the entire mid-Atlantic region, with heat indexes reaching as high as 120.At nearby Norfolk Naval Station, the mercury had risen to 106.6 by 3:14 p.m. But base officials, armed with a forecast for hot weather and relatively high humidity, had early in the morning raised the Black Flag that signals the suspension of physical training and strenuous exercise, excluding operational commitments, for all personnel.

Naval station spokeswoman Terri Davis said the base also was encouraging commands to limit outside activities “as best they can.” Personnel assigned to work outside, such as gate guards and personnel at Chambers Field, were advised to stay hydrated. Gate guards were being rotated more frequently to limit their exposure to the weather, she said.

Shipboard activity during hot weather is governed by the Navy’s heat stress control program, which provides guidance to ships on monitoring temperatures, both inside and outside, and appropriate exposure levels to those conditions, said Lt. Cmdr. Jim Christenson, the industrial hygiene officer for the Atlantic Fleet Naval Surface Force. On each ship, he said, medical personnel take periodic wet bulb readings.

Those are matched against a standard scale that notes the “physiological heat exposure limit” for six different levels of activity. On a hot day like this, all personnel working outside would be rotated, but an outside watchstander, for instance, wouldn’t rotate as fast as a member of a working party. “Today is as oppressive as we get,” Christenson said. “But the medical folks will be on top of this.”Cooler weather is on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service was calling for a 60 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms, some heavy, after 9 p.m. Wednesday, with more to come Thursday. In addition, a cold front was expected to arrive and stall over the region Thursday.

That’s expected to limit Thursday’s high to around 88. As a result, officials said they plan to reopen the Wisconsin Thursday. Admission to the ship, which is open during the summer from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., is free.

William H. McMichael is the Hampton Roads bureau chief for Navy Times.
Reach him at (757) 223-0096
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)