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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →During a long hot spell, act before you feel ill: move strenuous activity to cooler hours, spend the hottest part of the day in air conditioning or another cooled building, drink water regularly, and check on people who may not be able to cool themselves. If anyone becomes confused, has slurred speech, loses consciousness, or is getting worse, call emergency services immediately. Heat can harm healthy people as well as those with medical conditions, and risk rises with each day of poor overnight cooling.
What to do first when heat is building
- Get cooler. Go indoors to air conditioning or to a reliably air-conditioned public place. If you are outside, use shade and stop exertion.
- Lower body heat. Loosen or remove unnecessary clothing, apply cool wet cloths, and take a cool shower or bath.
- Drink if you can swallow safely. Sip water regularly rather than waiting for intense thirst. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Drinking water on hot days can help keep you hydrated, regardless of how active you are.” (CDC, About Heat and Your Health, updated July 20, 2026.)
- Call for help for dangerous symptoms. Confusion, slurred speech, fainting or loss of consciousness, seizures, or worsening illness can indicate heat stroke and require immediate emergency medical help.
Do not leave a person with serious symptoms alone or ask them to “sleep it off.” While waiting for help, move them to a cooler place and cool them with wet cloths or other safe methods. Do not give fluids to someone who is confused, vomiting repeatedly, unconscious, or unable to swallow normally.
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Why prolonged heat is different
A single hot afternoon can become a multi-day hazard when homes, buildings and bodies do not cool fully overnight. Risk depends on local temperature, humidity, sun exposure, air movement, work or exercise, access to cooling, age, pregnancy, medications and existing health conditions. Heat illness can affect anyone; older adults, infants and children, pregnant people, people with chronic conditions and those working or exercising outdoors are at increased risk. The CDC lists these groups and other risk factors in its people-at-increased-risk guidance.
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Build a daily heat-wave plan
Before the hottest hours
- Check the local forecast, HeatRisk level and air-quality information each morning. The CDC/NOAA HeatRisk tool provides a seven-day outlook, while local conditions and cooling-center hours can change during the day (CDC announcement, April 22, 2024).
- Move errands, exercise, yard work and outdoor jobs to early morning or evening when conditions are cooler. If the forecast remains dangerous overnight, plan indoor time for both the afternoon and night.
- Fill water bottles, charge phones, gather medicines and identify transportation to an air-conditioned location in case of a power outage.
- Ask an older neighbor, relative or friend who lives alone how they will stay cool and how you can reach them.
During peak heat
- Take frequent breaks in shade or air conditioning instead of waiting until you feel overheated.
- Reduce exercise intensity and duration. Stop immediately for dizziness, weakness, headache, nausea, unusual fatigue or cramps.
- Keep blinds or curtains closed on sunny windows, avoid unnecessary appliances that produce heat, and use the coolest room available.
- Keep pets and children out of parked vehicles. Interior temperatures can become dangerous rapidly even when the outside air does not feel extreme.
After sunset
Continue checking indoor temperature and how people feel. If the home is still hot, use a planned cooling location rather than assuming the night will solve the problem. The next day’s heat load starts with how well everyone recovered overnight.
Choose cooling that works through the hottest hours
Compare a cooling option by four questions: Does it actually lower body or indoor temperature? Is it available during the hottest hours and overnight? Can the person reach it safely and afford it? Will it remain available during an outage?
| Option | What it provides | Limits and safe use |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning at home | Effective indoor cooling when the system is working and the room is closed against outdoor heat. | Requires power, maintenance and an affordable setting. Have a backup destination for outages. |
| Air-conditioned public building or cooling center | A place to cool for people without reliable home air conditioning. | Check opening hours, transport, accessibility, pets and whether overnight stays are allowed. Local authorities or 2-1-1 may identify available sites where that service operates. |
| Cool shower or bath | Directly removes heat from the body and is useful at home without air conditioning. | It is temporary relief, not a replacement for a safe cool room during prolonged extreme heat. Prevent falls and supervise children or anyone weak. |
| Fan | May improve comfort by moving air when the room is not dangerously hot. | The CDC advises using fans only when indoor temperatures are below 90°F. Above that, a fan can increase body temperature rather than protect against heat (CDC prevention guidance). |
Do not treat a fan, cooling gadget or wet cloth as equivalent to air conditioning in a very hot room. If indoor conditions remain unsafe, relocate to a cooled building.
If you do not have home air conditioning
Prepare before the heat peaks. Identify the nearest air-conditioned library, community center, mall, shelter or other public location, and confirm that it is open and reachable. Ask local emergency management or 2-1-1 about cooling centers and transportation where available. Plan for mobility limitations, service animals, medication storage and a phone charger.
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At home, close sun-facing curtains or blinds, keep windows closed when outdoor air is hotter than indoors, and open them when outside air becomes cooler. Use a cool shower or bath, damp cloths on the neck and arms, and loose lightweight clothing. Cook with a microwave or prepare food without an oven and stove when possible; cooking appliances add indoor heat. The CDC’s guidance for people without air conditioning explains these measures (CDC, Heat and People without Air Conditioning).
Never rely solely on a fan when indoor temperatures are very high. If the home cannot stay cool, leave early for the planned cooled location rather than waiting for symptoms.
Hydrate without creating a new problem
Keep a filled bottle within reach and refill it throughout the day. Drink at regular intervals during work, travel and exercise; thirst should not be your only reminder. Water is the default choice for most people. Limit alcohol, highly caffeinated drinks and beverages high in sugar or sodium, which may make hydration harder or add unnecessary sugar and salt.
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Work and exercise safely
For outdoor workers
- Schedule heavy tasks for the coolest practical hours and rotate duties when possible.
- Take breaks in shade or air conditioning at planned intervals, not only when someone feels ill.
- Carry water, wear lightweight breathable clothing and use a hat or other sun protection.
- Use a buddy system. A coworker may notice confusion or clumsiness before the affected person does.
- Allow gradual acclimatization when returning to hot work after time away; reduce the initial workload and increase it cautiously.
For exercise
Choose an air-conditioned indoor venue or move activity to a cooler time. Reduce pace, distance and intensity as heat and humidity rise. Stop for headache, dizziness, nausea, unusual weakness, cramps or confusion. A training plan never outweighs signs of heat illness.
Check on people who may need help
Make a contact list before the heat wave and agree on at least one daily check-in, with an additional visit during the hottest period for people at greatest risk. Do not assume that a text message proves someone is safe if they have mobility, cognitive, hearing or language barriers.
- Older adults: Ask whether their room is cool, whether the air conditioner works and whether they have water and transport.
- Infants and children: Offer fluids appropriate to their age as advised by their clinician, provide shade and supervision, and check frequently because they may not recognize or communicate overheating.
- Pregnant people: Help arrange cooling, rest and medical advice for unusual symptoms.
- People with chronic conditions or disabilities: Confirm backup power, accessible transport, device needs and a plan for refrigerated medicines.
- People living alone or outdoors: Offer a practical route to a cooled location rather than only advice to “stay cool.”
Recognize heat illness and give the right first aid
| Signs | What to do |
|---|---|
| Heavy sweating, thirst, headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps or faintness | Stop activity and move to a cool place. Loosen clothing, apply cool wet cloths or use a cool shower, and offer small sips of water if the person is alert and can swallow safely. Monitor closely. |
| Confusion, unusual behavior, slurred speech, loss of coordination, seizure, loss of consciousness or rapidly worsening illness | Call emergency services immediately for suspected heat stroke. Move the person to a cooler place, remove excess clothing and cool with wet cloths or other safe methods while help is coming. Do not give fluids to an unconscious or confused person. |
Fainting, persistent vomiting, symptoms that do not improve promptly after cooling, or symptoms in someone with a serious medical condition warrant urgent medical advice even if the person appears better. The CDC hot-weather illness guidance and the National Weather Service heat-illness guide describe warning signs and first aid.
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Plan for medicines, equipment and power outages
Ask a clinician or pharmacist before hot weather about medicines that affect sweating, blood pressure, fluid balance or alertness. Keep taking medicines as prescribed unless the prescriber tells you otherwise. Write down the clinician’s instructions so a caregiver can follow them during an outage.
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Heat-related power failures can endanger refrigerated medicines, oxygen equipment, ventilators, mobility devices and other medical technology. Contact the utility about medical-priority registration if available, keep backup batteries charged, and know where to go if equipment cannot operate safely. A cooler with an appropriate ice plan may help some medicines, but storage requirements vary; follow the product label or pharmacist’s instructions rather than guessing.
Use HeatRisk and air-quality information together
Heat and smoke or ozone can create competing risks. Check the seven-day HeatRisk outlook and the local air-quality index each day. On poor-air-quality days, strenuous outdoor activity may be unsafe even during a cooler period; use a filtered, air-conditioned indoor space when possible. Follow local emergency alerts for cooling-center closures, transportation changes, water advisories and power outages. Forecast tools guide planning, but your actual neighborhood may be hotter because of pavement, little shade or a poorly ventilated room.
A practical heat-wave checklist
- Air-conditioned home or identified cooled destination.
- Filled, refillable water bottle for each person.
- Daily check-in list for people living alone or at elevated risk.
- Forecast, HeatRisk and air-quality alerts enabled.
- Cool shower or bath supplies and lightweight clothing.
- Transportation, phone charging and accessibility plan for a cooling center.
- Medicine, refrigerated-item and medical-device outage plan.
- Emergency contacts and clear knowledge of heat-stroke warning signs.
Review the checklist before each day’s hottest period and revise it when conditions, health status, transport or power availability changes.
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