New England Faces Day 5 of Heat Wave

(NECN: Scot Yount, Natick, Massachusetts) "Hot, but that is why we come here," said a man setting up to barbecue.

It’s day five of the heat wave, and the end really won't be here until the end of the weekend.

At this state park in Natick, Mass., swimmers were doing their best to avoid the heat which is now being classified as dangerous.

"It's very hot, I mean there are some spots that are a little cool, but it is so hot I want the shampoo to wash my hair," joked a woman.

While she is joking, heat related illness is serious business.

"We are seeing a few patients who are suffering from dehydration and people passing out, some people trying to run in the heat and passing out, some elderly people getting weak and dehydrated," said Dr. Erik Deede, an emergency room physician at Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick.

Emergency rooms are seeing the result of that scorching sun, simply because people can't get out of the heat, or they overdo it. No matter how you think you feel, there is an easy way to check yourself out.

"Keep drinking the fluids, a good measure of your fluid status is your urination, the darker it is the more dehydrated you are, the lighter it is the better," Deede said.

So with that advice you can go out, as long as you keep your exposure down.

"It's awesome, that's why we are sitting outside and having lunch, we like the heat, won't get tired of it, no, never," said a woman.

"Hey, I have to go back into an air conditioned office and put my sweater on because I am cold, so it is nice to come out here," said another.

For people who have the day off, work at night, or just need a break, those state parks look mighty inviting.

"I am sweating but you know what it is nice, the lake is a nice place to be and the water is beautiful, it is the first time I have been able to walk in and not be freezing, so it is nice," said a woman relaxing at the lake.

"It is the first time I have been out, so, I have been working but a couple of days off and try to enjoy it," said a man about to enjoy lunch.

"You know it is tiring but, I am lucky I work inside, and my job is done for the day, so I get to enjoy some of this good weather," said a man from Maine.

We have at least a couple of days to go before we get a break, but don't worry, sometime around next January, people will be pining for weather like this.

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