Summer in California means beautiful sunny days, but it also means dealing with triple-digit temperatures.  Extreme heat isn’t just uncomfortable; it can be dangerous if you aren’t prepared.  The good news is that heat-related illnesses are entirely preventable.

Know the Ways You are Exposed to Extreme Heat

While being in extreme heat is dangerous for everyone, some people are more exposed or extra sensitive to heat.  You have a higher risk is you:

• Work in a hot environment (outdoors, restaurant kitchen, warehouse, or factory).

• Live in an area with limited shade and green spaces.

• Live in an area where air pollution is bad (near a busy road, factory, or dusty farmlands).

• Are exposed to wildfire smoke.

• Don’t have or use air conditioning at home or can’t easily get to an air-conditioned public space (like a library or shopping center).

• Have a high-risk pregnancy or are already having pregnancy complications.

• Are taking certain medications (like antidepressants, beta-blockers, and other health medications) that can interfere with the body’s internal temperature or impair sweating.

Simple Ways to Stay Cool and Safe 

Staying safe during a heatwave mostly comes down to everyday common sense and a few smart adjustments to your routine: 

• Drink up, even if you aren’t thirsty: Don’t wait until your mouth is parched.  Sip on water throughout the day.  Mix in some fruit juice or sport drinks to replace the natural salts and minerals you lose when you sweat.  Be sure to eat regularly.  Tip: If your doctor has you on a low-sodium diet or limits your fluids, check with them first.

• Skip the dehydrating drinks: Avoid sugary sodas, heavy caffeine, and alcohol.  They actually act as diuretics and make your body lose water faster.

• Dress for the weather: Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes in light colors.  Dark fabrics absorb the sun’s rays and trap heat against your body.

• Gear up for the sun: Throw on a wide-brimmed hat to shade your face and neck, grab some sunglasses with 100% UV protection, and slather on sunscreen (at least SPF 15) about 15 minutes before you go outside.  Reapply every two hours.

• Take it easy: Keep heavy physical activity to an absolute minimum when it’s excessively hot.  If you have to work outside, plan your activities so that you are outside either before noon or in the evening.  Take frequent breaks in the shade and never leave kids or pets in a parked car.

• Pace Yourself: If you’re not used to working or exercising in hot weather, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually.  Take frequent, regularly scheduled breaks.  If activity in the heat makes your heart pound or leaves you gasping for breath, stop activity, get into a cool or shady area and rest (especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak or feel faint).

• Keep your home cool: Close your blinds, curtains, or shades during the hottest parts of the day to block out the sun.  Avoid using your oven or stove – they add a ton of ambient heat to your home.  Eat cool or frozen treats instead.

• Know the limits of electric fans: Fans are great for moving air around, but they will not prevent heat illness if the air inside your house is in the high 90s.  If your home doesn’t have a working A/C and it’s roasting inside, head to an air-conditioned public space like a library or government building open to the public.

• Use a Buddy System: During a heat wave, check on your friends and family and have someone do the same for you.  If you know someone who is elderly or has a health condition, check on them twice a day during a heat wave.  Watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  High temperatures can cause serious health problems.  Know the symptoms of heat-related illness and be ready to help.

• Do your part during Flex Alerts: If the state calls for energy conservation, help keep the power grid stable by setting your A/C to 78 degrees or higher (if health permits), turning off extra lights, and waiting until the evening to run large appliances.

Spotting and Treating Heat Illness 

Heat illnesses happen on a spectrum.  If you catch the warning signs early, you can stop them from turning into a life-threatening emergency. 

Sunburn 

• What it looks like: Sunburn is when your skin becomes red, painful and unusually warm after being in the sun.  Sunburn should be avoided because it damages the skin and could lead to more serious illness.

• What to do: See a doctor if the sunburn affects an infant younger than one year old or if the victim has fever, blisters, or severe pain. Stay out of the sun until the burn has healed.  Bathe the sunburned area with cool water.  Use moisturizing lotion on the sunburn – do not use salve, butter or ointment.  Do not break blisters.

Heat Edema (Swelling) 

• What it looks like: Your feet, ankles, lower legs, or hands look puffy and swollen, and the skin might feel tight.

• What to do: Get out of the heat and into shaded or air-conditioned room.  Take off any tight shoes or constrictive clothing, kick your feet up on some pillows and sip some water. 

Heat Cramps

•  What it looks like: Sharp, painful muscle spasms or contractions, usually in your calves, arms, stomach, or back, often accompanied by heavy sweating.

• What to do: Stop what you are doing immediately.  Rest in a cool, shaded place and gently stretch or massage the muscle.  Rehydrate with water or a sports drink. 

Heat Exhaustion 

• What it looks like: Heavy sweating, painful muscle cramps, feeling incredibly weak or exhausted, cool and clammy skin, dizziness, a nasty headache, nausea or vomiting, a fast but weak pulse, or fainting.

• What to do: Move to a cool, air-conditioned room or shade immediately.  Lie down flat and elevate your legs slightly if you can.  Loosen up any tight or heavy clothing.  Cool down by putting wet, cool cloths on your skin or sitting near a misting fan.  Take small, slow sips of water.  Call for medical help if you start throwing up, your symptoms get worse, or you don’t feel better after an hours. 

Heat Stroke (Call 911 Immediately!) 

• What it looks like: This is a severe, life-threatening emergency.  Looks for a core body temperature of 103 degrees or higher, confusion, slurred speech, acting completely out of character, delirium, seizures, or passing out.  The person’s skin might look bright red and hot – and it can be completely dry or dripping with sweat.  Their pulse will be fast and pounding.

• What to do: Call 911 right away.  While you wait for help, move them to a cool area and remove any heavy clothing.  Cool them down fast: spray them with water, put them in a cool bath, or place ice packs/cold wet towels under their armpits, around their neck, and near their groin.  Keep their skin wet and fan them down.  Do not give them anything to drink if they are confused or unconscious. 

Special Care for Infants & Pregnant Women

Some members of our community are much more vulnerable to the heat and need an extra layer of protection. 

Pregnancy & Heat 

• The Risk: When you are pregnant, your body is already working overtime and running a higher baseline metabolic load.  This makes you get dehydrated much faster, which interferes with your body’s ability to sweat and stay cool.  Overheating can cause dangerous spikes in blood pressure, seizures, increase your risk for UTIs, and – most importantly – restrict blood and oxygen flow to the baby.  This increases the risk for premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects, and even stillbirth.  

• What you can do: Create a designated “Cool Room” at home.  Pick a room on the lowest floor of your house with minimal outside walls (North or Northeast facing rooms are best).  Keep the windows covered, turn off heat-generating electronics like TVs, and use cool washcloths on your wrists and neck.  On super-hot nights, wear loose pajamas, sleep under a single light cotton sheet, and consider sleeping in separate beds from your partner to avoid extra body heat.  Don’t be afraid to ask for workplace accommodations like extra water breaks and shaded rest periods. 

Infants & Young Children 

• The Risk: Kids and infants absorb environmental heat much faster than adults because of their smaller body size and higher metabolic rates.  Their internal cooling systems aren’t fully developed yet, and they can’t tell you when they are getting dehydrated.

• What you can do: Check on them constantly.  Make sure they have a water bottle nearby and are drinking non-sugary fluids.  Dress them in sun-protective clothing.  Apply sunscreen, and keep them indoors during peak heat hours.  Note: California law (Education Code § 35183.5) explicitly protects a student's right to wear hats and apply sunscreen at school without needing a doctor's note. 

Keeping our Seniors Safe 

As we get older, our bodies aren’t quite as efficient at cooling down.  Seniors have fewer active sweat glands, poorer blood circulation, and are more likely to have chronic health conditions.  On top of that, many common prescription medications (like water pills or heart medications) can affect how the body handles heat. 

• Use the Buddy System: If you have elderly family members, friends, or neighbors, check on them at least twice a day during a heatwave.  Look closely for signs of exhaustion, heat stress, or confusion.

• Hydration Reminders: Encourage them to drink cool water regularly and not wait until they feel thirsty.

• Keep them cool: Help them take cool showers or baths, and make sure they have a way to get to an air-conditioned space if their home is getting too hot.

Youth Sports & Outdoor Activities 

Exertional Heat Illness (EHI) happens when strenuous exercise causes a young person’s body temperature to skyrocket faster than it can cool off.  This is incredibly common during summer camps, physical education, band practice, and youth sports. 

• Take time to adjust: Whether it’s the start of summer camp or you just moved to a hotter area, kids need 1 to 2 weeks to slowly acclimatize to the weather.  Gradually increase workout intensity and duration over those two weeks.

• Prevention Strategies: Encourage hydration and regular breaks in the shade.  Ask them how they’re feeling and check temperature conditions regularly.  Install mist stations near fields and play areas, if possible.  Remind them to wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing, to use ice packs or wet towels to cool down, and to use and reapply sunscreen often.

• Reschedule practices: Avoid running strenuous activities during the hottest parts of the day – specifically between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

• If the athlete collapses: Act fast.  Move them to the shade, strip off all heavy athletic pads, helmets, and extra gear, and submerge them up to their neck in a cold-water immersion tub ((35°F to 58°F).  Stir the ice continuously.  If an ice bath is not available, mist and fan the victim, or cool the victim in an ice-filled tarp TACO.  Call 911 after you start the cooling process.  Remember the golden rule for sports heat stroke: Cool first, transport second! Click here to review the TACO Method of cooling victims down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vonrI4IQOFM&t=38s

• Is it Safe to Play? To understand if it’s safe for youth to play in your area, check the National Weather Service (NWS) HeatRisk Tool.  The NWS HeatRisk tool provides a seven-day forecast of the potential heat risk and is a better indicator than using temperature alone.  It accounts for how unusual the heat is for your location and time of the year, the heat’s duration and humidity.  Click here for additional information from the California Interscholastic Federation: https://www.cifstate.org/governance/constitution/EXTREME_HEAT_AND_AIR_QUALITY_POLICY.pdf

Don’t Forget Your Four-Legged Friends! 

• Watch for the Signs: Keep a close eye out for heavy, loud panting, trouble breathing, a racing heart, excessive drooling with thick saliva, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, or sudden collapse.

• Protect those with paws: Asphalt and concrete can get incredibly hot and will easily burn a pet’s sensitive paw pads.  Try the 7-Second Hand Test: Put the back of your bare hand firmly against the pavement.  If it’s too hot for you to hold it there comfortably for 7 seconds, it is way too hot for your dog’s paws.  Walk them early in the morning, late at night, or stick strictly to the grass.

• Know your pet’s risk: Older, overweight, or large-breed dogs overheat very easily.  Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs, Boxers, and Persian cats can’t pant efficiently due to their restricted airways and must be kept in an air-conditioned room during hot weather.

• Leave the fur alone: Keep your pets brushed and groomed, but never shave off their double coats.  A dog or cat’s fur acts as natural insulation against the summer heat and protects their skin from painful sunburns.

• Water safety: Keep plenty of fresh, cool, tip-proof water outside in the shade.  If you take your dog swimming to cool off, don’t let them drink from murky or green-looking stagnant water, ponds, or rivers.  Summer heat contributes to toxic harmful algal blooms (HABs) that can be fatal to pets.

• Emergency cooling for pets: If your pet is overheating, move them to the shade or A/C immediately and wet their head, ears, belly, and paws with cool or room-temperature water.  Crucial Warning: Never use ice of freezing cold water!  Freezing water causes their blood vessels to constrict instantly, which actually traps the heat inside their core, and makes things worse.  Wet them down and drive straight to an emergency vet clinic. 

The Golden Rule of Heat Safety 

Never, EVER leave a child, a senior, or a pet alone in a parked car – not even for a minute with the windows cracked. Tip: To remind yourself that a child is in the car, when the child is buckled in the backseat, place a stuffed animal in the front with the driver.  When leaving the car, check to make sure everyone is out of the car.  Check the backseat for any children who have fallen asleep.  

On a typical summer day, the temperature inside a parked vehicle can jump by over 20 degrees in less than 10 minutes.  It quickly becomes an oven than can cause heat stroke and death.  If you are out running errands and see a child or an animal locked in a hot car alone, don’t wait – call 911 immediately.

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