Heat wave prompts earlier start for Mizzou football game
Saturday's football game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns has been moved earlier to combat the summer-like heat this weekend.
Mizzou Athletics announced the change on Thursday, saying, "Due to forecasted extreme heat in Columbia, and after consultation with the National Weather Service and our public safety partners, Mizzou Athletics has adjusted the start time for Saturday's home football game against Louisiana. The sold-out game will now kick off at noon CT at Memorial Stadium."
While it would be hard to find any game time on Saturday that isn't affected by the heat, the earlier kickoff at noon at least avoids some of the worst.
Noon is actually not the hottest time of day, as the sun usually reaches its peak position in the sky a little later at a time known as solar noon.
There is also a delay in the warming of the Earth's surface by the sun. It takes time for the atmosphere to absorb energy from the sun and release it as heat.
The difference between noon and solar noon, and the lag in the Earth's response to the Sun, means that the hottest time of day usually occurs between 3 and 6 p.m. Mizzou's earlier kickoff aims to avoid this peak heat period.
Still, it will be a scorcher this weekend. Dr. Christopher Sampson from MU Health Care says it is important to take caution in this heat.
Dr. Sampson recommends wearing light clothing, applying sunscreen regularly, and seeking shaded or cooler areas when necessary.
If you begin feeling symptoms of heat exhaustion, it's time to get out of the sun. "The first signs are, if you start feeling dizzy, you feel like your heart's racing, feel like you're going to pass out. The first thing to do, really, is to get out of the sun. So try and get down into some shade. If you need to get into a cool, air-conditioned area, do that." Dr. Sampson says.
Mizzou will have aid stations on either side of the stadium to provide water or medical help to those in need. "There's an aid station in the east concourse and then one on the west concourse. There's signage that can direct people to where they are." Dr. Sampson says.
Summer-like heat is expected to persist throughout the weekend and most of next week, with high temperatures above 90 degrees through Thursday of the upcoming week.
