July 6, 2012 It's hot out there. Last month, more than 3,200
temperature records were broken or tied around the United
States, with mercury readings including a scorching 114 degrees
Fahrenheit in Yuma, Ariz., 94 in Lincoln, Neb., and 98 in
Queens, NY. In the last two weeks, a third of Americans have
endured a heat advisory or excessive heat warning. And
temperatures from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast are
running a good 10 to 15 degrees above average. As the mercury
has soared, so too have heat-related deaths. The current count
is 23, according to news reports. And with forecasts projecting
continued steaminess -- along with continued power outages -- in
many places, chances are that more people will succumb. So, why
can heat be so deadly? Hot weather alone is not dangerous, said
Chris Minson, an environmental physiologist at the University of
Oregon, Eugene. Instead, it's a combination of hot temperatures,
high humidity, and often preexisting health conditions that can
push a person's core body temp