Pahrump community works to beat the heat

Local residents can expect higher than normal daytime temperatures as a heat wave envelops the Pahrump Valley this week.

The National Weather Service’s heat forecast for today is 111, which is slightly cooler than Monday and Tuesday’s respective daytime highs of 114 and 115 degrees.

Thursday and Friday’s highs are expected to be a bit cooler.

Officials with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas noted triple-digit temperatures can be expected into next week.

Obviously, the best method of staying cool during the summer months is to remain indoors, if possible, but there are those who make their living working outdoors.

Pahrump resident Lorenzo Garcia owns L.G. Concrete.

Garcia and his crew are installing a parking lot at an area church, with zero shade at the site.

The soft-spoken Garcia provided his thoughts on he and his crew working outdoors during the oppressive Southern Nevada heat.

“We just drink a whole lot of water and take extra breaks,” he said. “We start out at 5 a.m. in the morning to avoid the heat from the midday sun and we work a full eight hours every day.”

Interestingly, Garcia said that working in shorts and short-sleeved shirts does not keep him cooler during the workday.

He did note that wearing a wide-brimmed hat is effective in shielding the sunlight.

“It’s best to wear long sleeves because it shields your skin from the sun,” he said. “The wide-brim hats really helps a lot because they keep you in a little bit of shade while you work.”

Business busy

The hot weather appears to be a benefit for some local retailers.

Terry Nespor, manager of the Rebel convenience store at Highway 160 and Basin Avenue, said he’s noticed an uptick in water and ice purchases.

“Oh my gosh, we are having a big run on water and ice sales,” he said. “If it’s anything liquid, they want it and anything else to relieve them from the heat, they also want it, especially bottles of water, bottles of energy drinks and especially ice. We are selling anything with ice. It goes off the shelves just as quick as we stock it.”

Nespor noted one item is figuratively flying off the shelves.

“We have a great price on our Rebel brand drinking water,” he said. “Right now we are offering two, one-gallon containers of water for just $3. We have our ice delivered in, but for the fountain drinks, we do make our own ice with the ice machine because we can’t possibly keep up with the demand as of late.”

Motor vehicles

Humans aside, now would also be a good idea to have the family car checked out for any issues related to overheating.

Chuck McClelland, parts and service director for the Saitta Trudeau car dealership in town, said it would be wise to have the car inspected and/or serviced whether for an upcoming road trip or just driving about town each day.

“To avoid breakdowns on the road, you want to make sure your belts and hoses are checked, as well as making sure the coolant reservoir is full and not leaking, but the belts and hoses are very important to maintain,” he said. It’s also important to check your tires because the condition of your tires are very important when driving during the hot summer months. You want to make sure your air pressure is correct and there are no cracks or damage on the sidewalls.”

McClelland also said at present, drivers are coming in for their regular maintenance, but not necessarily for heat-related issues.

“There is not a real high volume of people coming in for those kinds of problems because it’s just now starting to get really hot,” he said. “I can anticipate that we will be getting people coming in with water pump leaks and issues with their hoses and radiators. Stuff that was just semi-worn, but now it can be a problem because the vehicles will be running real hot.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes