Beating The Heat With Sun-Proof Clothing

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – There's no doubt that air conditioners in our cars and homes will get a workout on Monday.

We're expecting one of our hottest days of the summer ahead with a high temperature expected to be in the low 90s. It will also be very humid, which should give us a heat index of 100 degrees or more in the afternoon.

WCCO-TV Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak said the Twin Cities is under an Excessive Heat Warning from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It's only the second time so far this year that we'll hit a high temperature of at least 90 degrees.

It was just seven days ago that we didn't even have a high temperature in the 70s, and coupled with wind and showers, it felt more like October than July. But we won't need coats Monday. Those will be traded in for swimsuits and sunscreen.

Among the outdoor places that are busy are pools, for obvious reasons. The Splash pad at Oak Hill Park in St. Louis Park is so popular today that there's a line to get inside. And with a high temperature in the low 90s expected as well as a heat index of around 100 degrees, it's ideal splash pad weather.

Kids at the park didn't even wait till noon to get drenched.  While this weather is super fun for water activities, heat like today's can be dangerous. A local company, Coolibar, is in existence for that reason. They make clothes and hats for adults with 50 UPF that's the same as applying SPF all over. However, you don't have to reapply. We talked with the founder, who is an Australia native.

"Clothing is more convenient and it's got this protective level so it's this thing to start off with to get the level of best protection," said John Barrow. "You still need to use sunscreen, but sunscreen has become more of a supplemental role. You still need to do your face, hands, things like that."

One of their products is a hat that actually has sunscreen built into the fiber of the product.  You can see it has 50 UPF, which is in the SPF of fabric.

Most of those clothes look like a lot of fabric, so do they make people warmer?

Barrow said no, just the opposite actually. Because they are loose, they allow a breeze under the fabric and they act like shade to keep skin cooler. Some companies actually make cooling beads into their fabric.