In Blazing Heat, Here’s How Acadiana’s Meteorologists Cool Off

We are extremely lucky in Acadiana to have meteorologists who have decades of experience not just in weather, but in weather specifically in Louisiana. We all know how dramatically things can change.

This week's forecast and going forward over this next stretch of seven to eight days are going to be extremely hot.

Chief Meteorologist at KATC-TV Rob Perillo says we are going to experience some dangerous heat as the current upper-level high-pressure system begins to show us hotter temperatures starting this weekend and moving into next week.

No doubt, we are going to have to make sure we stay hydrated, take breaks if we are out in the sun for extended periods of time, and make sure we aren't overdoing it with physical activity.

These are the things each of us does when the temperatures go to extremes, but what about our meteorologists? What do these guys do in the extreme heat? How do they stay cool?

Rob Perillo

KATC-TV 3 Chief Meteorologist Rob Perillo says he loves to sweat, but only for exercise. Each day, he says, you will find cycling across Acadiana. He adds he only does so during the midmorning hours.

After that, he shares his love with his plants. He says he has to make sure they stay hydrated too. And, isn't that the truth? Outside plants have to be especially hardy to take this heat. Rob then points out, he waters his head! He says he's got to beat the heat so he just aims that hose at his head and gives himself a good dousing.

Another way Perillo beats the heat is to shower twice a day. So many of us follow this same practice. Spending all that time cycling, he has no choice but to jump in the shower. It's a good way to beat the heat.

The third thing Rob does is, " I embrace the air-conditioning at work, LOL!" We are with you, my friend! I think most of us would literally hug our air conditioners. He says he is so thankful to God that he has a job that allows him to work inside.

Dave Baker

While he is on the news desk each weekday on TV-3, Dave Baker is also a meteorologist. It gives him a unique perspective on what information people need each day when we are moving into a heat wave. But, what does he do to stay cool?

For Dave, his background growing up in the Midwest was so cold that he says the windows were always shut. He says it was "dark and dusty". Imagine growing up like Dave where it was so cold they had to endure months of freezing cold, so you didn't spend time outside.

Fast forward to today, Baker says his home in the summer has to be dark and closed to hide from the sun! He says he loves to open those windows in the winter, but in the summer he's maybe a little bit like a vampire. ( I put in the vampire part ). He avoids the sun as if his life depends on it! LOL! He says even when he swims laps, he is doing laps in the indoor pool to avoid the blazing heat!

Daniel Phillips

Daniel Phillips is one of the gentlemen who you see waking up with you at 4:30 each weekday morning to make sure you have all of the weather information you need for your day.

Phillips is also excellent at researching the weather and reporting on its impact on all of us. He won a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award for a special report called, Fading Away.

How Daniel beats the heat:

• Whenever it gets this hot, and I have access to a pool I float from the neck down with only my head above water.
• If I had gills, I'd fully submerge myself in said pool.
• If people out there have pools and need a charismatic personality to help elevate a pool party, I'm your guy.
• If I don't have a pool I sit and look longingly at pictures of snow-covered mountains.
• Finally, I will complain to my wife about the electric bill because of all the heat.

Bradley Benoit

One of the most important weather forecasts we want has to do with our weekend. When you're tuning into KATC on the weekends, Bradley Benoit does an amazing job of getting us weather-ready for our weekend plans.

When he sees all these hot temperatures, what does a meteorologist do? Well, did you know that Benoit LOVES the bayous and swamps of Acadiana? He says, "I actually live for this heat. I took off Wednesday just to enjoy it!

Even he ends up getting warm in this weather though, so he says he will soak up his beloved UV rays while jumping in the pool as often as possible.

Benoit's got some other great ideas for cooling off too. He says an afternoon snowball is the way to really cap off your day. Benoit, we all have that in common too, my friend.

He says his secret to staying hydrated always begins the night before he spends a big day in the heat. He says hydrating throughout the day, each day, is key to having a leg-up on the brutal heat. He says, "I start the night before and probably drink close to a gallon of water a day!"

If he isn't jumping in the pool, you can find him hanging out with his nephews at the nearest splash pad.

I want to thank all of these gentlemen for sharing their secrets on how to beat the heat with us!