VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The sweltering summer heat beat down on more than 100 Little Leaguers during a baseball tournament at Great Neck Recreation Field in Virginia Beach Wednesday.
Parents and fans took refuge under tents. One man used his umbrella to block the sun’s rays.
Player number 11, Zack Wood of Virginia Beach, told News 3 he’s played in hot weather before, but not in temperatures this extreme.
“This is definitely the hottest,” he said. “We’ve been drinking lots of water, and we poured water on our hats and then put them on to cool us off.”
Many people soaked up the sun at the beach as temperatures soared into the 90s.
“It’s been an absolutely beautiful day, breezy but I’m loving it,” said Kofi Owusu of Woodbridge, Virginia. “I like it hot, so maybe that’s why.”
Other people took a dip in the ocean to escape the triple-digit heat index.
“It’s cold at first but it heats up pretty fast once you get inside,” said Tameka Ruffin of Louisburg, North Carolina. “Feels really good. Relaxing.”
Ruffin spent the day at the beach with her family including her daughters, 7-month-old Sahara and 6-year-old Malaysia. They all made sure to lather on the sunscreen.
Lifeguards at the Oceanfront are fully staffed. They were keeping a watchful eye on swimmers and surfers, including 8-year-old Jacob “JB2” Bayer of Virginia Beach.
“The waves are kind of small but good,” Bayer said.
Many folks did their best to stay hydrated with water. Charlie Petty of Virginia Beach was eating watermelon to quench his thirst.
Related Article: Folks across Hampton Roads use caution as temperatures heat up
Owusu’s family was making the most of their Virginia Beach vacation by taking in the sights and sounds on a peddle bike.
“It’s actually quite tiresome riding the bike with four people peddling,” Owusu said. “It gives you a workout, but this time of the day, the weather is quite nice. We’re not having too much difficulty.”
Bruce Nedelka with Virginia Beach EMS said they’ve had an uptick in heat-related calls Wednesday and are planning on having more crews in the field this holiday weekend.
Emergency crews are reminding people who plan on being outside for long periods of time, to get out of the sun if they start to feel lightheaded or dizzy or become overheated.
