SAN DIEGO — Many people are feeling the effects of this extreme heatwave.
"It's a dangerous level of heat out there and many people are dehydrated and having some issues," said Sharp Memorial's Emergency Room Dr. Keith Yablonicky.
Yablonicky said he has personally taken care of five to six patients dealing with heat exhaustion this weekend which is much higher than normal.
"Usually we see zero this time of year, so 1 patient out of 60 or 5 to 6 out of 30; this is significantly an increase percentage wise," Yablonicky said.
The heatwave has been persistent all weekend long.
On Saturday, medical crews brought out stretchers for fans experiencing heat exhaustion at the Aztecs season opener at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley. The temperature at kickoff was 100 degrees, the hottest in recorded history for an SDSU football game.
Monica Munoz, Media Services Manager for the City of San Diego SD Fire-Rescue- Communications Department told CBS 8:
"There were several patients treated at Snapdragon Stadium. AMR and SD Fire-Rescue provided medical aid."
To stay cool, 68-year-old Ellen Citrano spends just 30 minutes relaxing and swimming in her pool.
"This is amazing and scary. We’ve never had temperatures like this," said Citrano. "Most of us don’t have A.C. here because we’ve always had great cross ventilation."
She recently had a heart transplant and decided it was time to put A.C. in her unit.
"Its taken a year to recover from that. We felt air conditioning was a lot more conducive to my healing and getting better," Citrano said.
As the heat continues, anyone over 60 years old can go to the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center downtown. It is a designated cool zone.
"The heat is dangerous for everyone, particularly older adults and it's especially dangerous for anyone living on the streets. Come in to a center like this one and get out of that punishing heat," said Gayle Falkenthal, spokesperson for the non-profit Serving Seniors.
To stay safe in this heat, make sure to follow these easy tips.
"If you’re out in the sun, it's not going to take a lot for your body to feel dehydrated. Wear a big hat and if you are outside, don’t be out there any longer than 20 minutes. Stay out of the sun. Stay cool and drink plenty of water. It's important to remember alcohol and caffeine dehydrates you," said Dr. Yablonicky.
He also says signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion can include feeling faint or fatigue or sweating in the heat and then not sweating.
WATCH RELATED: Scorching heat at Snapdragon Stadium forces fans out of their seats and into shade (Sep. 2022).