FAYNC Forecast: Hot with a Chance of Thunder

Recently, Fayetteville and North Carolina have been experiencing pretty interesting storms alongside the incredibly hot temperature. As if the sweltering heat wasn’t enough, this weather has pitched us another curveball to deal with, too.

With this new upwards trend, I’d like to share a few tips to help keep you cool and dry throughout the rest of the summer season. Buckle up and tune in to which one speaks to you the most!

1. Make a plan for severe weather. Make sure you have alerts for the weather on your phone in case a sunny day flips into a not-so-sunny one. Stray away from outdoor activities and driving if possible, especially at night when visibility is even more limited. If it’s unavoidable, think about bringing a passenger along and/or nighttime driving glasses to help see.

2. Stay in the shade whenever you can. Maybe it seems obvious, but getting in the shade is an efficient, natural way to combat the extreme UV rays from outside. If you have any outdoor plans, try to wear things like sunhats and caps to protect the sensitive skin on your neck and face, as well as applying sunscreen to all exposed skin.

3. Grab outside items that may act as debris later. Racing with your kids outside is fun until the clouds start rolling in! Always try to pack up toys, bags, and other items from outside that could fly away in heavy winds. This includes trash bins – if you can, park them somewhere they cannot easily tip over into the road.

4. Hydrate! Drinking water is essential to staying healthy in extreme heat, so ensure that you drink plenty of it if you’re headed outside. If you’re going to a longer event in the sun, opting for a drink with electrolytes is also a good idea (for example, Gatorade).

5. Adjust the thermostat to recommended levels. As tempting as it may be to crank the AC all the way up, electricity bills can spike from the increased use. Instead, try to keep the thermostat at the recommended level of 78 degrees. If it still feels stuffy, cracking open a few windows and turning on fans can do the trick just fine.

We’ve all had plans get thrown off by a random midday storm or heat exhaustion, but luckily there are always alternatives! Here’s a few right off the top of my head:

1. Watch a show or movie. Rainy days are the classic environment for laying down to watch a movie or TV show, so take advantage when you can! This option is a bit riskier since storms can easily knock out the power, but if it’s calm enough, try to catch up on that one show your family has been nagging you about -- or even better, our newest FMtv interview on YouTube!

2. Try a new recipe or refine your own. Is there a recipe you’ve been dying to try, but couldn’t get around to? Take some time out of the gloomy day to prepare a new kind of lasagna or rich brownie that you saw on social media and couldn’t do before.

3. Pick up a new hobby. Use the peaceful energy to paint or draw something off the top of your head. It doesn’t need to be Picasso level – as long as you’re exercising your artistic flow, anything works!

4. Play some indoor games. Retreating from the heat into a competitive game of UNO in the house is sometimes unmatched in vibes. If you need to wind down, ask others if they’d like to play a round, or challenge everyone to entertaining games on the TV, whether they’re video games, YouTube quizzes, or something else.

5. Lastly, read our latest issue! Truly, nothing beats reading on the couch with the rain acting as white noise behind you. Sure, books can do the trick too, but what better way to indulge in the serene atmosphere than to catch up on FAYNC Magazine’s newest work?

Fayetteville is like any other city in the world: busy, active, and pushing on. The people here aren’t as easy to break with just a lightning strike, and I can admit that with utmost certainty; but with how vicious these storms can get in the blink of an eye, it’s important to stay vigilant. Monitor the weather app, even on the sunniest day, keep your umbrellas on hand, and ensure that you are outside for a limited amount of time during severe heat or storms if possible.

Though, as they say, the sunshine will always be there after the rain – with that, make sure to read FAYNC Magazine’s newest summer issue, FOLLOW THE SUN, out now!

Bianca Santiago

Editorial Intern

FAYNC Magazine