According to the National Library of Medicine, 36 children die annuallyafter suffering from hyperthermia after being left inside of a sealedvehicle.Thirty minutes! That's all it takes for an animal or human to succumb to theheat buildup in a parked car. Never, ever leave your child in a car parked inthe sun with the mindset that you'll be right back. That may be too late. Evenwith the windows cracked, the heat build up is rapid, and in a matter ofminutes reaches life-threatening levels.
Furthermore, even on a day that is comfortably warm outside (70s) theinterior of a sealed, parked car will heat up dramatically.
So what is the science behind this? The sun gives off shortwave heat energywhich easily passes through the glass windows. In turn, interior fixtures ofthe car (seats, dash, etc) heat up. The heated interior gives longwave energywhich cannot escape through the glass, but it does warm the air quite readily.
This causes a very rapid heat buildup, and in only 30 minutes the temperaturecan be as high as 150 degrees.
Don't leave children, elderly persons or pets inside a sealed up vehicleeven for a few minutes.
Story by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
