Tips to Prepare for Extreme Heat

A series of unusually hot days is referred to as an extreme heat event. Extreme heat or heat waves occur when the temperature reaches high levels, much hotter than average for a particular time and place.

Extreme heat can affect everyone causing illness and death if not treated promptly. Extreme heat is especially dangerous because people might not recognize their symptoms like sweating or fatigue as signs of a more serious condition. Individuals at higher risk include:

• People exposed to high temperatures:
  • Athletes that train or compete outside
  • Outside workers
  • Homeless
  • Those who live (especially those that live alone) or work without air conditioning
  • Individuals living in urban areas
    
    
• People less tolerant to heat:
  • Infants
  • Children
  • Pregnant women
  • Older adults, 65+
  • Individuals with chronic medical conditions or those that take certain medications
  • Individuals under the influence of drugs or alcohol
    
    
• People who are less able to prepare or avoid heat:
  • Lower-income residents
  • Individuals with mobility issues

The information below provides tips to help you adapt and prepare in your home, workplace, and community for extreme heat events. This information comes from the CDC and US EPA (CDC, 2023; EPA, 2023; EPA and CDC, 2016).

Before Extreme Heat

Check cooling systems

Each spring, check your fans, air conditioners, and other cooling equipment to make sure they are in good working order.

• Have a contractor do annual, pre-season check-ups.
• Repair or replace your air conditioner before you need it.
• Clean and trim around outdoor HVAC units so air can flow freely.
• Clean fan blades so the motor can work efficiently and move air better.

Implement cooling strategies

These cooling strategies can be implemented and promoted community wide, and also by home/ building owners:

• Plant a green roof to provide shade and reduce the temperature of the roof surface.
• Install a cool roof which reflects sunlight and heat away from your home, reducing roof temperatures.
• Plant trees or erect shade structures to shade your home lowering surrounding temperatures and decreasing the need for air conditioning.
• Switch to cool pavements on sidewalks, parking lots, and streets.

Community-wide planning

• Create a heat wave response program or plan.
• Activate telephone heat hotlines or other local heat alert systems.
• Provide public air-conditioned buildings and transportation to these facilities.
• Work with local agencies to educate at-risk individuals.

Photo courtesy of P. Pellegrino, stock.adobe.com

During Extreme Heat

Stay cool

• Wear clothing that is lightweight, light-colored, and loose-fitting.
• Spend time in air-conditioned places like a shopping mall, markets, a library, or a theater if your home does not have air conditioning.
• Use fans when temperatures are below 95°F. Above 95°F, fans will NOT prevent heat-related illness.
• Take a cool shower or bath to help cool off.
• Minimize direct exposure to the sun.
• Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen.
• Limit your outdoor activity for the cooler hours of the day, like morning and evening hours.
• When outdoors rest often in shady areas.
• Eat light, cool, and easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads. Hot and heavy meals add heat to your body.
• Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.

Stay hydrated

• Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Stay away from caffienated, sugary, or alcoholic drinks.
• Replace salt and minerals lost to sweating. A sports drink can help.
• Provide plenty of water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.

Stay informed

• Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips.
• Check on friends, family, and neighbors to ensure they have access to air conditioning or cooling centers to help prevent heat-related illnesses and death.
• Know the symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.

Help prevent brownouts or blackouts

• Turn off nonessential lights, televisions, games, and computers, and unplug chargers when not in use.
• If you lose power, keep generators outside and away from doors, windows, and vents.

Drive smart

• Do not leave children or pets in cars. Cars can heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window open.
• Roll the windows down at lower speeds and use the air-conditioner at highway speeds.
• Drive with the windows open for a short time before using the air-conditioner, to let out the hot air.
• Park in the shade or use a sunshade or pop-up window screens.
• Buy gas during the cooler hours of the day (morning and evening hours) to reduce evaporation of gasoline into the air around you.

Photo courtesy of B. Inaglory

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness

Heat stroke occurs when the body can no longer regulate its temperature, and can lead to death without medical attention.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• High body temperature (103°F or higher)
• Hot, red, dry, or damp skin
• Fast, strong pulse
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Losing consciousness (passing out)

WHAT TO DO

• Call 911 right away-heat stroke is a medical emergency
• Move the person to a cooler place
• Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath
• Do not give the person anything to drink

Heat exhaustion can occur from exposure to extreme heat over an extended period of time (usually several days), especially when combined with dehydration.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Heavy sweating
• Cold, pale, and clammy skin
• Fast, weak pulse
• Nausea or vomiting
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness or weakness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fainting (passing out)

WHAT TO DO

• Move to a cool place
• Loosen your clothes
• Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath
• Sip water

Get medical help right away if:

• You are throwing up
• Your symptoms get worse
• Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour

Heat cramps are muscle spasms, often in the abdomen, arms, or calves, caused by exposure to extreme heat combined with dehydration. They commonly happen during strenuous outdoor activities such as physical labor or sports.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Heavy sweating during intense exercise
• Muscle pain or spasms

WHAT TO DO

• Stop physical activity and move to a cool place
• Drink water or a sports drink
• Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity

Get medical help right away if:

• Cramps last longer than 1 hour
• You are on a low-sodium diet
• You have heart problems

Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Painful, red, and warm skin
• Blisters on the skin

WHAT TO DO

• Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals
• Put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath
• Put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas
• Do not break blisters
• Wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn

Heat rash occurs when swear is trapped in the skin. It is often itchy and is caused by exposure to extreme heat and humidity.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin, or in elbow creases)

WHAT TO DO

• Stay in a cool, dry place
• Keep the rash dry
• Use powder (like baby powder) to soothe the rash

Infographic Handouts

For printable infographics about heat-related illnesses and how to adapt, check out the 1-page handouts created by the CDC:

• Beat the Heat
• Heat Related Illness

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2023). Extreme Heat. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2023). Extreme Heat. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Available at https://www.epa.gov/natural-disasters/extreme-heat.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016). Climate Change and Extreme Heat: What You Can Do to Prepare. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. EPA 430-R-16-061. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/extreme-heat-guidebook.pdf.