TRAVERSE CITY -- There is at least one place you don't want to be on a day like this and that's sitting in a hot car. Emergency officials say not only is it uncomfortable but it can be deadly.
7&4's Kate Fox has more on how quickly the heat can affect your health.
The sun heats up objects in the car like a dark dashboard or seat. These objects can reach anywhere from 180 - 200 degrees in temperature. They also heat the air trapped inside the vehicle, creating sweltering and dangerous conditions.
Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department Assistant Chief Terry Flynn says, "When you’re locked up in a car people don't understand how hot it can get in there."
So to help you understand we decided to show you through a 40-minute time lapse.
As it hit just over 90 degrees outside and inside the vehicle Flynn and I attached a thermometer to its window -- checking it every 10 minutes.
Flynn says, "Statistics have show even if you have your window down cracked an inch it does not matter the max temperature will be reached... when they've done tests 80% of maximum temperature in vehicle is reached in the first 30 min."
After the first 10 minutes the temperature jumps 22 degrees from 90 degrees to a staggering 112 degrees.
Flynn explains how the body is reacting, he says, "The person they’re getting agitated...maybe getting a headache, nauseous, just the bodies’ way of going through heat emergency."
As time hits the 20 minute mark the interior temperature climbs to 116 degrees.
Flynn says the body is "going into heat exhaustion now... might see some fainting, vomiting dizziness, might even pass out."
Checking back at 30 minutes, we find it went up almost 3 more degrees, to almost 119 degrees.
Flynn says what seems like a small increase actually equals the greatest danger. He says, "Now it's a near death situation. The person might be convulsing... dehydration has set in, they’ve already sweated and now they’re really in trouble... it's a major emergency."
We checked the temperature again at 40 minutes, it climbed 4 more degrees, increasing to 123 degrees. While that is an increase, Flynn says the health effects won't be much different than at the 30 minute mark.
