Jamaicans Advised To Guard Against Heat Illness As Hot, Dry Weather Looms

Jamaicans are being cautioned again to get ready for an unusually hot summer, with weather experts expecting stretches of intense heat in the months to come, according to a report by Kemon White.

The advisory comes at a time when many countries are dealing with higher temperatures and less predictable weather. Across Jamaica, summer conditions can be harsh, with daytime heat often giving way to warm evenings that offer little relief.

Amid ongoing concern about environmental effects, public health specialist and family health physician Dr. Orville Nembhard said people should take practical steps to lower their risk of heat-related sickness and harm to the skin.

"The body needs to operate within certain temperatures for it to function adequately, and when the temperature rises beyond that, it creates problems. Amongst the things we can do to reduce the risk of that is avoid exposure to the sunlight in the hottest times of the day. Make sure you're adequately hydrated, meaning you're drinking enough water. Avoid certain drinks such as alcohol and caffeine, and high sugar drinks which aid dehydration," he suggested.

Dr. Nembhard also stressed that Jamaicans should cut back on outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day and take greater care when they must be in direct sunlight.

"If we're dealing with just the heat then the measures I've described would be adequate. Certainly, if you want to protect again sun exposure then minimise your time out in the sun, minimise the time out at peak periods, and certainly, use a sunscreen to protect the skin," he advised.

His comments come as Jamaica gets set for what could be a notably hot and dry spell. Last week, Evan Thompson, Principal Director of the Meteorological Service, told Jamaicans to expect hotter and drier weather in the months ahead as a Super El Niño forms in the Pacific Ocean.

El Niño is a natural climate cycle that usually appears every two to seven years and may continue for nine to twelve months. It happens when unusually warm waters in the tropical Pacific shift atmospheric circulation, influencing weather patterns around the world.