Maine Public and the Portland Press Herald teamed up this summer to investigate the growing issue of extreme heat.
Maine is a cold-weather state through and through; for centuries, its inhabitants have worried over, and worked at, how to survive the harsh winters.
And during our cool, temperate summers, the state comes alive; tourists arrive to bask on our beaches and lakes, explore our famous parks and islands, and don sweatshirts to sip beers outside breweries. Our reputation as ‘Vacationland’ partly stems from those breezy, balanced summers.
One might think, then, that when we see heat waves on the news in places like Arizona and Louisiana, we’re immune. But just because we’re not reaching 110 Fahrenheit, doesn’t mean extreme heat isn’t something to plan for.
In many ways, heatwaves are a weather phenomenon like any other: a hurricane, a blizzard, a tornado. But because they’re silent, and often happen in summer, when people already expect it to be hot, heat events can go unnoticed until it’s too late.
To drive this idea home, scientists are now advocating for heat events to be named, just like storms: Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Ida – and in 2022, Heatwave Zoe. The first heatwave with an official name, Zoe scorched Sevilla, Spain for six days, and studies have shown that people took the heat wave more seriously because it was named.
As temperatures continue to rise Maine will see more frequent and intense heatwaves in the coming years. And because of our status as a cold-weather state, we’re at risk in ways that places accustomed to extreme heat aren’t: Our buildings are old and designed to keep heat in; our bodies are attuned to colder temperatures.
Maine is already being exposed in new ways to heat risk. How is the state stepping up to meet the challenge? And who is most vulnerable? These questions, and others, were front of mind when Maine Public’s Climate Desk (hi!) and the Portland Press Herald met up to discuss a joint-project on heat.
Together, our group of reporters set out to examine heat’s impact on the people, the economy, and the environment in Maine. Our reporting focused on what heat does to the human body and why it can sneak up on you; how it affects workers in outdoor occupations like construction; and how heat can impact wildlife and the environment.
Heat will change how we live. Here’s what we know:
Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz recently sat down with two of the reporters on the project, Penny Overton, climate and environment reporter at the Press Herald, and Maine Public climate reporter Peter McGuire, to discuss what they learned.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Gratz: Penny, Maine is typically thought of as a cold weather state. Why did you decide to look into extreme heat events here?
Overton: Well, I used to work in Arizona, where 105-degree summer days are typical. When I moved here, I didn’t think Maine had an extreme heat problem, at least not yet. It was Maine’s former CDC director, Dora Mills, who set me straight about that, listing a dozen groups of people at risk from what I would call mild heat. Sure enough, studies show people in cold-weather states suffer from heat illnesses at lower temperatures than people in hot-weather states. Put that all together: Maine heat can be dangerous long before the thermometer hits 105 degrees, especially for some.
Did the numbers back that up?
Overton: Yes, state data shows heat-related ER visits and hospitalizations spike during a heat wave. And that’s just for the injuries and illnesses that a hospital ties directly to the heat — things like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. There are going to be a lot of people who arrive at the hospital after a fall, a stroke or a heart attack that will not be labeled as a heat case even though it probably wouldn’t have happened if there had been no heat wave. So, bottom line? We don’t really know the true health impact of our heat waves.
Were you surprised to learn which Maine groups were vulnerable to heat?
Overton: Some of the most vulnerable are exactly who you’d expect them to be: older Mainers, pregnant people and babies, people with pre-existing medical conditions, people who work outdoors or in hot places. But I didn’t know that people on some pretty common medications also face an elevated risk. Some ADHD medications, antihistamines, high blood pressure medications and antidepressants can cause side effects that make it harder for a body to regulate heat. The risk isn’t from the illness or condition, but the medication used to treat it. Unfortunately, many people who take them don’t realize it.
Peter, some of your reporting focused on how workers are handling dangerous heat. How are increased heat days making worksites more hazardous?
McGuire: Well, there are some preliminary data from the ER data Penny was mentioning that indicate a major risk factor for getting heat illness is working, you know, physical labor.
And people I talked to said that hot days were the worst conditions to work in. I met several people who said they had heat illness multiple times on the job. And that the severity of the issue wasn’t well recognized in Maine. You know, about 1,000 U.S. workers have died from heat illness on the job in the last 30 years, but there’s still no federal or state standards to make employers provide water, shade or extra breaks on a hot day. And experts say that’s really disappointing, because deaths and injuries from heat illness are preventable.
Isn’t there a federal rule being worked on to address heat?
McGuire: Yeah, there is. It’s from the Biden-era Occupational Safety and Health Administration and basically it would require water, rest and shade for workers when the heat index hits 80 degrees. And added precautions when it goes over 90.
A lot of advocacy groups thought the Trump administration would dump that proposal, but so far rulemaking is still going ahead.
So the science shows it’s only going to get hotter. Penny, what’s Maine doing to help those already at risk and prepare for the higher temperatures to come?
Overton: Maine communities like Dover-Foxcroft and Fairfield are starting to open up cooling centers during heat waves. Maine recently passed a law that bars Maine utilities from cutting off power in a heat wave, and another that requires local Boards of Education to adopt temperature ranges in schools. But its big picture strategy seems to be heat pumps. Heat pumps may have begun as a way to reduce emissions and save Mainers money by weaning them off home heating oil, but it also happens to be a way to cool Maine buildings. That’s especially important for a state with low AC rates.
McGuire: Yeah, and I’d add that across the state county emergency managers are developing plans to respond to dangerous heat and cold. Heat waves are the deadliest form of extreme weather and I think it's maybe a good sign that people in Maine are starting to think about and plan for these events as disasters on par with an ice storm or hurricane.
And I think it is working — back in June when temperatures spiked over 100 degrees, Maine had the most cooling centers open it ever has. So I think it is encouraging that, even as a cold weather state, we’re starting to adapt and recognize how dangerous a heat wave can be.
Check out all the stories from our ongoing collaboration, which will wrap up in September, below.
Here's how Maine's emergency managers are preparing for dangerous heat — now and in the future
Developing an extreme temperature plan for rural Franklin County means answering questions such as, who is most vulnerable? Where are the heating and cooling centers? Can people get to them? Are hospitals set up to handle patients during weather emergencies?
Heat danger: Maine's most vulnerable at risk from rising summer temps
A 2015 Harvard University study found that residents of cold-weather states like Maine feel the health effects of heat at much lower temperatures than those in hotter states, yet most do not believe local heat waves to be that dangerous. But Maine’s demographics and infrastructure make it especially vulnerable. This piece takes a broad look at affected populations in Maine while diving deep on data.
What happens to the body under extreme heat? Medical tent at Beach to Beacon offers a glimpse
Maine Public’s health reporter Patty White takes a look at what heat exhaustion and heat stroke can do to the body – and how medical professionals prepare to treat heat emergencies quickly.
Among Maine workers, growing recognition of heat as a top occupational safety hazard
But despite recognition of the issue, there are still no state or federal regulations to keep workers safe in sweltering conditions.
Cooling centers offer relief from extreme heat. But are Mainers taking shelter?
A record 110 cooling centers opened during an early heat wave this summer. That's nearly double the high last year. But Mainers don’t always know when to use them.
With nowhere to run, Maine wildlife face heat-related risks
Extreme heat exacerbates the issues wildlife are already facing: drought, habitat loss and the spread of disease. Animals are more likely to take new risks by venturing places they normally wouldn’t in search of shade or water. Others, like shellfish, simply have nowhere to go.
Still to come in our collaboration: The Portland Press Herald takes a look at how heat is impacting Maine’s economy and environment. And, we’ll take you inside the effort to bring cooling solutions to Maine schools.
This week, we have two tidbits of heat-related advice, in lieu of our usual low-carbon solutions.
Phase in taking precautions during summer heat
"The human body was only really designed to operate within a certain temperature range, and when it gets super cold or super hot, things don't work right. Just to put it very simply," says Mylan Cohen, a cardiologist at MaineHealth and medical director of the annual Beach to Beacon 10K race, told Patty White on her recent reporting trip.
Because we don’t think of Maine as all that hot, people can underestimate the heat-related threat they face.
And many don’t know they’re at risk, as Portland Press Herald’s Penelope Overton reported:
“Some ADHD medications, antihistamines, high blood pressure medications and antidepressants can cause side effects that make it harder for a body to regulate heat. The risk isn’t from the illness or condition, but the medication used to treat it. Unfortunately, many people who take them don’t realize it.”
Athletes are another group that may underestimate their risk.
“What people have to remember is you can have people with heat stroke even as cool as 60 degrees because they're pushing really hard, and so their muscles are actually heating up," according to Shelley Weinstein, a lead medic at Beach to Beacon. "It's kind of like a roast in the oven. It's cooking from the inside."
Regardless of health status or activity, the directives here are simple:
- Take heat seriously, even if temperatures don’t look dire
- Hydrate with both water and electrolytes (like salt) when working outside or engaging in physical activity
- Remember to factor in humidity — humid days can quietly push the heat index into the three-digit range without folks realizing
- Seek out shade, cool water, cold showers, A/C or fans
- Keep an eye out for lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue or nausea
- If you’re feeling off, don’t wait: take a break!
Phase out trying wildlife interventions without expert help
During a heatwave, concerned citizens often want to help out when they see wildlife in distress. And calling the Center for Wildlife’s hotline, or your local park ranger, animal control, or Inland Fisheries and Wildlife can absolutely be the right call if an animal is visibly hurt.
But when it comes to birds in particular, Maine Audubon’s Doug Hitchcox says, less is definitely more. In fact, people can often harm instead of helping without realizing it.
For example, he’s had some concerned callers say they fed water to baby birds in a nest with a dropper. But, because most birds don’t drink water the way humans do, this well-intentioned act could actually potentially be fatal for the birds. And, if baby birds smell like human, it could also lead a mother to abandon them.
And during heatwaves, other garden-variety interventions can turn deadly, too.
“If you’re going to put out a birdbath, you need to clean it out every day,” Hitchcox said. Bacteria will start growing in a shallow birdbath really quickly – and hummingbird feeders have the same issue.
“It’s better to just not put one out,” Hitchcox says of the liquid sugar-water feeders. That’s because bacteria can start to breed in a hummingbird feeder in just a few hours. Better to skip it if it’s really hot out.
Bottom line? When it comes to birds, unless you see one is actively hurt, it’s best to let nature run its course.
Till next time,
Molly
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