21 people died in Gansu Baiyin Marathon. Why did extreme weather lead to hypothermia? How to save yourself?

The mountain marathon held in Baiyin, Gansu Province encountered extreme weather, and many participants died. At present, 21 participants have been confirmed dead, including many top players in the domestic cross-country circle. As an outdoor sports enthusiast, it is extremely important to master the knowledge of self-rescue in extreme weather. Even for ordinary people, they may encounter extreme weather when traveling. So how to save yourself when encountering extreme weather outdoors? Today we will talk about

What is extreme weather?

Extreme weather refers to weather conditions that deviate significantly from their average state. In layman's terms, it is rare weather that occurs only once in a century. As the global climate warms, extreme weather has become more common. Extreme high temperatures, extreme low temperatures, extreme droughts, and extreme precipitation have occurred more frequently in the past 50 years.

What harm does extreme weather do to the human body?

Hypothermia is the main hazard of this extreme weather

If you have watched Bear Grylls' "Man vs. Wild", you must know that he has repeatedly emphasized that hypothermia is the main risk factor in extreme outdoor weather.

Hypothermia means that the body's heat loss is greater than its heat supply, causing the body's core temperature to drop, resulting in a series of life-threatening symptoms.

Hypothermia is not simply caused by a drop in ambient temperature, but rather by a failure to keep warm. Therefore, hypothermia does not necessarily occur in the cold winter, but can also occur in extreme weather in the summer. This Gansu Mountain Marathon is also held in late spring and early summer.

To give an easy-to-understand example, in the same environment of 15℃, you may feel a little hot when the sky is clear, but when it is stormy outside and you happen to be sitting on a fast-moving motorcycle, you may feel shivering. The same thing is the ambient temperature, but the difference is the body surface temperature. Especially when the core area (brain, torso) of the human body temperature drops, the body will gradually become stiff, shiver, and even suffer from cardiopulmonary failure.

Landslides caused by extreme precipitation are very dangerous. Extreme precipitation weather refers to abnormally large precipitation over a period of time, which is divided into extreme daily rainfall, extreme continuous precipitation days, and extreme continuous precipitation. Large amounts of precipitation not only make the roads muddy and slippery, increasing the risk of slipping and falling, but also increase physical exertion.

Especially in mountainous areas, continuous heavy rainfall often leads to low temperatures, increasing the risk of hypothermia. In addition, extreme rainfall may also cause geological disasters such as floods and landslides. If precipitation occurs in summer, it is often accompanied by thunderstorms, which greatly increases the probability of outdoor personnel being struck by lightning.

Extremely hot weather can cause heat stroke

Extreme heat generally refers to a period of time when the temperature in a certain area deviates significantly from its average state. In other words, abnormally high temperatures that should not occur appear. When the temperature exceeds the human body surface temperature, the normal heat dissipation of the human body is affected, and the body can only remove a large amount of heat through the evaporation of a large amount of sweat to maintain the balance of heat generation and heat dissipation.

In abnormally hot weather, as a large amount of sweat evaporates, symptoms such as thirst often occur. If water is not replenished in time, symptoms such as shock will appear. In addition to the loss of water, electrolytes are also excreted from the body with sweat. At this time, electrolyte imbalance is very likely to occur, often accompanied by dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and even muscle weakness in the limbs. In severe cases, it may even be life-threatening.

When the human body is in high temperature for a long time, its temperature regulation function will be disturbed. We call this heat stroke. If it is not treated in time, the probability of death is extremely high.

How to protect yourself in extreme outdoor weather?

Since extreme weather outdoors is so dangerous, it is recommended to do the following:

Bring enough equipment before departure

In order to achieve better results, many runners in the Gansu Mountain Marathon Cross-Country Race chose to travel light, bringing only a few clothes and thermal blankets. For them who have participated in outdoor training all year round, they can barely cope with ordinary weather, but are often at a loss when encountering extreme weather. Many runners died of hypothermia. It's a pity that if they had brought enough thermal insulation equipment, they might have a greater chance of survival.

Dress in layers and stay dry

For outdoor sports, dressing is a very important thing. As mentioned above, the main cause of hypothermia is the drop in body surface temperature. Normal human skin is in contact with the outside air, and the thermal conductivity of air is poor. In theory, this is very conducive to maintaining the body surface temperature.

When encountering extreme weather, such as rainfall that soaks the whole body, the material in direct contact with the skin becomes water. The thermal conductivity of water is ten times that of air. In other words, the temperature of the body surface will drop rapidly, leading to hypothermia.

In order to prevent similar incidents from happening, it is recommended to wear clothes in layers, including a close-fitting layer (quick-drying fabric), a thermal insulation layer, and a protective layer (jacket). Keep the close-fitting layer as dry as possible to prevent hypothermia.

Sun protection for the head is crucial

When summer comes, ladies like to use a parasol. In addition to being afraid of getting tanned, parasols can also effectively reduce radiant heat. When encountering extreme weather, pay attention to sun protection for the head. It is strictly forbidden to expose the head to prevent direct sunlight. Of course, there are no parasols outdoors, but a sun hat or even a towel can protect the head well, thus preventing heat stroke.

Flood and lightning protection in rainstorm weather

Extreme rainstorms are often accompanied by floods and mudslides. At this time, you should avoid staying near water bodies or in low-lying areas as you may be washed away by the accumulated water. The correct approach is to run perpendicular to the flood channel and the sides of the mudslide.

If you encounter thunderstorms, do not hide under big trees as you may be struck by lightning. Also, lower your height appropriately and keep your feet together to reduce the harm caused by step voltage.