As sweltering heat blankets much of the Southwest U.S., and daily record-high temperatures are forecast to be shattered in cities around the country, Durango, too, is projected to experience above-normal temperatures in the coming days.

Durango isn’t quite projected to breach record highs, but the abnormal heat still poses risks to health, particularly for young children, the elderly and people with preexisting conditions. At the same time, some businesses stand to benefit during what is shaping up to be the hottest month of the year.

Scott Stearns, National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Junction, said temperatures will reach the mid-90s on Friday and carry through the weekend until they peak at 96 degrees on Monday.

Although temperatures aren’t forecast to rise as high as Phoenix, which Scientific American reports has already experienced consecutive daily highs of 110 degrees or above this month, Stearns said the Durango area is expected to experience heat 5-10 degrees above normal, an equivalent spike as to that occurring in the Valley of the Sun.

The NWS doesn’t have the greatest data sets for the city of Durango, with one of the better weather stations situated 8 miles south of town, he said. But record highs captured at that station hover just above 100 degrees for July 17 and the following few days.

Durango temperatures are expected to come in below daily record highs through next week, he said. The top high temp on record for July is 107 degrees, which was recorded in 2005, although that is taken from data that spans back only about 30 years.

He said compared to last year, daily temperatures through the weekend and early next week are forecast to be 1-2 degrees higher.

“I can tell you in Grand Junction we’re getting very close to record highs. Whether we’ll actually exceed those or not remains to be seen,” he said.

Area thunderstorms are possible Tuesday and Wednesday, although if they manifest they will likely be in higher elevations, and Durangoans shouldn’t get their hopes up for much if any precipitation, he said.

In the absence of rain or cloud cover, people are advised to drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks and seek air-conditioned areas, he said.

Scott Sholes, EMS chief for Durango Fire Protection District, said those most vulnerable to heat exhaustion are infants, the elderly, people on certain medications and people who are accustomed to lower elevations.

“I'd say be careful if you're taking any medications that are a vasoconstrictor that narrow your blood vessels,” he said. “Anything that regulates your blood pressure, that kind of changes how your blood vessels are responding. And anything that blocks the adrenaline in your system.”

He said beta blockers change how one’s heart responds to certain conditions, and diuretics can affect one’s ability to stay hydrated.

Elderly people are more susceptible to heat exhaustion because they tend to have chronic illnesses such as heart and lung diseases, he said. Their bodies don’t respond as rapidly to heat, which becomes a cardiovascular issue. Obesity and sedentary lifestyles can also put one at greater risk of heat exhaustion.

People who live at sea level and travel to Durango are more at risk of heat exhaustion also, he said. Even mild altitude sickness combined with high temperatures can exacerbate the heat’s effect on the body.

Heat illness explained by health organizations

According to the World Health Organization, hotter than average weather conditions harm the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature and “can result in a cascade of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia.”

Those most vulnerable to extreme heat include “the elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, outdoor and manual workers, athletes, and the poor.”

San Juan Basin Public Health’s extreme heat webpage says heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke occur when one’s body cannot properly cool itself; body temperature rises faster than the body can cool down, which can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs.

Sholes cautioned against leaving infants, young children and pets in parked cars. He said temperatures inside a parked car with its windows up can rise by 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. Although DFPD EMS haven’t responded to such an emergency recently, they have in the past and consider the scenario one of the biggest risks with hot weather.

“I can tell you right now, firefighters and paramedics will break into a car if there's a kid or a pet (inside),” he said. “They'll do what they think they need to to deal with the situation.”

With tourists gathered in town, he said it is likely EMS will respond to heat-related emergencies as temps ratchet up. People should perform their outdoor workouts or recreation earlier in the morning, avoid drinking a lot of alcohol and above all, stay hydrated.

Despite oppressive heat, life must go on. While near record-breaking temperatures might sound miserable, some people say they are good for business.

Katie Burford, owner of Cream Bean Berry, said hot temperature and ice cream sales move “in lockstep.” She jokes that the NWS should have an index that rates hot days by ice cream cones, because of how closely hot weather and ice cream sales are intermingled.

She rated a high temperature of 90 degrees at 10 ice cream cones. Ninety-six degrees is off the charts, she said.

People fleeing to Durango from scorching heat across the Southwest U.S. combined with Durango’s already busy tourism season has resulted in consecutive record sales at Cream Bean Berry over the July Fourth weekend, beating last year’s sales by 15%, she said.

“This particular year was really something else,” she said.

To Burford’s surprise, all of her flavors are selling well, even richer flavors that one might find less appealing in the heat such as chocolate and peanut butter fudge, she said. But her sorbet, a refreshing frozen fruit dessert, is also selling.

She recommends the sorbet for anyone looking to cool off.

“In a couple days here, we are going to be debuting Palisade peach sorbet, which I’m sure will definitely be a hot seller,” she said.

Business is stellar, but Burford said the problem is running out of ice cream and keeping her equipment running.

“It’s all groaning under the pressure of so much heat and use,” she said.

Blistering heat bodes well for the HVAC industry as well.

Travis Oliger, co-owner of Garrhs Heating & Air Conditioning, said when high temperatures hit, the phones ring off their hooks.

“Honestly, we have so many (appointments) right now that they’re backed up way past this weekend,” he said. “Our service schedule is probably through next week, even. Not that we can’t get to something tomorrow if somebody has an emergency.”

Most people prepare for cold weather by installing heating systems in their homes and businesses. But air conditioning is more of an impulse purchase, he said.

Air conditioning units aren’t needed until the moment they are because they tend to break down when they are working the hardest, he said. Dirty filters and worn out compressors are common causes of busted air conditioning units.

But not all businesses benefit from extreme heat, even if their service seemingly goes hand-in-hand with hot weather.

Owner of Cascade Xpress Car Wash Jayden Hinger, who has been in business for almost a year, said he has learned through experience that customers aren’t interested in washing their cars on especially hot days.

“On hot days we’ll wash about 300 or so cars,” he said. “But on the rainy, muddy days, or the day after a rainy and muddy day, we’ll (wash) almost double, triple that number pretty regularly,” he said.

cburney@durangoherald.com