How to keep safe in extreme heat

High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year, so here are our top tips on how to keep safe in extreme heat.

• Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can.
• Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen.
• Pace yourself.
• Take cool showers or baths to cool down.
• Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
• Never leave children or pets in cars.
• Check the local news for health and safety updates.

Getting too hot can make you sick when your body can't properly cool you off.

The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:

• High humidity: When the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly. This keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
• Personal factors: Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, pregnancy, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

How to keep safe in extreme heat

Those who are at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.

It's important to ask yourself these questions:

• Are you drinking enough water?
• Do you have access to air conditioning?
• Do you need help keeping cool?

If you are responsible for a vulnerable person, you need to ask the same questions for them.

People at greatest risk for heat-related illness can take the following protective actions to prevent illness or death:

• Stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as you can: Air-conditioning is the number one way to protect yourself against heat-related illness and death. If your home is not air-conditioned, reduce your risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned and using air conditioning in vehicles. Contact your local health department or locate an air-conditioned shelter in your area.
• Fans: Do not rely on a fan as your main cooling device during an extreme heat event.
• Hydration: Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Vigilance: Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
• Appliances: Limit use of the stove and oven as they will make you and your house hotter.

Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they over do it during hot weather.

The best precautions are to:

• Limit outdoor activity, especially midday when the sun is hottest.
• Pace activity. Start activities slowly and pick up the pace gradually.
• Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more. Muscle cramping may be an early sign of heat-related illness.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.