It's been a sticky stretch around Bloomington. The city's weekend forecast called for temperatures in the 90s and up, paired with high humidity, and on July 10 the city put out a reminder on how to handle it — the kind of heat where the AC becomes the most important appliance in the house.
The basics, per the city: drink water and sports drinks with electrolytes, stay in air conditioning when you can, wear light clothing, and skip strenuous exercise between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Never leave kids or pets in a parked car. And if you've got a neighbor who's elderly, lives alone, or doesn't have AC, the city says it's worth a knock on the door to check in.
For anyone without reliable air conditioning, Hennepin County keeps an interactive map of cooling centers open during heat events like this one.
The city also laid out what heat illness actually looks like, since the symptoms can sneak up. Heat exhaustion shows up as headaches, pale and sweaty skin, nausea and muscle cramps — the fix is getting somewhere cool and drinking fluids, and calling 911 if it doesn't let up within an hour. Heat stroke is more serious: confusion, hot skin, and a core temperature of 104 degrees or higher. That's a 911 call right away, with cooling by water or ice packs while help is on the way.
Residents with questions can reach the city at 952-563-8700. For now, the advice is simple — hydrate, find shade or AC, and look out for each other until the heat breaks.