It's only the first of June and already the thermometer is topping 90 degrees over much of the Grand Strand and Pee Dee. That can take a toll on people's health, especially for those who have to work outside.
Heat causes your body's blood vessels to dilate, allowing you to dissipate heat through sweating.
But emergency physician Dr. Eric Senn says the very young, the very old and those on certain medications can't get rid of the heat fast enough, causing serious health issues.
"It can cause obviously some problems with your thinking and your brain, it can cause heart failure, it can eventually cause death, if it goes far enough," Dr. Senn said.
Dr. Senn says so far, he hasn't treated any patients for heat exhaustion at the South Strand Medical Center during this heat wave, but he expects to see a few.
Senn says there are some easy and sensible ways to avoid heat-related health issues.
"Drinking a lot of fluids, non-alcoholic fluids and taking breaks out of the sun as much as possible. And wearing sun block, very important."
The Salvation Army of Horry County is collecting fans to give out to those in need.
Fans can be dropped off at The Salvation Army's Family Store in Myrtle Beach at 212 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, SC and at the Salvation Army Social Service Office located at 1400 Church Street in Conway.
Monetary donations can be sent to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 500, Conway, SC, 29528.
Capt. Bret McElroy says the Horry County chapter has already given out a few fans.
"We have people calling and asking for fans, so ultimately, we want to be able to help as many people as we can and have a fan for everybody that needs one."
McElroy says the goal is to collect at least 200 fans to give away.
Along with people, plants are also affected by the heat. Horry County extension horticulturalist Gary Forrester says the hot weather can cause problems for your vegetable garden.
"We can run into some problems with things like tomatoes and peppers when daytime temperatures get above 85, into the 90's, even close to a hundred," Forrester said. "You can get some sterilization in the pollen. Especially if the humidity is high, the pollen gets sticky and it does not pollinate well, so we don't have fruit."
Forrester says the combination of high temperatures and dry conditions is already affecting the area's corn crop, which is starting to shrivel.
Forrester says many gardeners have a greater problem with watering their plants too much, rather than too little.
"Most of the time with homeowners, we see a problem with them over-irrigating, especially in some of these poor soils that don't drain well. They have a tendency to keep them too wet, because of course it's hot so they think they need to water."
