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During a long heat wave, move to a cooler place, stop strenuous activity, drink water regularly, and check on people who may be at higher risk. Use air conditioning or an air-conditioned public location when possible, plan outdoor tasks for cooler hours, and treat confusion, slurred speech, fainting, or loss of consciousness as an emergency.

What to do first when heat is building

  1. Get cooler. Move indoors with air conditioning or to another air-conditioned location. If you are outside, use shade and leave direct sun.
  2. Reduce exertion. Stop exercise, physical work, and unnecessary travel during the hottest period. Rest and loosen tight clothing.
  3. Drink water regularly. Carry a bottle and refill it rather than waiting until you feel very thirsty. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Drinking water on hot days can help keep you hydrated, regardless of how active you are” in its About Heat and Your Health guidance, updated July 20, 2026.
  4. Check on others. Contact older adults, infants and children, pregnant people, people with chronic conditions, neighbors who live alone, and anyone working or exercising outdoors.
  5. Watch for symptoms. Heavy sweating, nausea, weakness, dizziness, muscle cramps, and fainting can signal heat illness. Confusion, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, or symptoms that worsen require immediate emergency help.

Heat risk depends on temperature, humidity, duration, air quality, housing, access to cooling, and a person’s health. Follow current local alerts instead of relying on a general forecast.

Plan before a prolonged hot spell

Check the seven-day outlook

Use the CDC/NOAA HeatRisk tool for a seven-day heat outlook, then check your local weather service for neighborhood conditions, air-quality alerts, power-outage information, and cooling-center notices. Conditions and opening hours can change during the day.

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Make a cooling and contact plan

  • Identify where you can spend the hottest hours and sleep safely if your home becomes too hot.
  • List air-conditioned public locations or cooling centers and determine how you will reach them without prolonged exposure.
  • Arrange check-ins with family, neighbors, or a support worker, especially for people who live alone.
  • Charge phones, keep flashlights available, and know how to report a power outage.
  • Ask a clinician for an individualized heat plan if you have a medical condition, take regular medicines, use a medical device, or have previously had heat illness. Do not stop or change medicines on your own.
  • Keep drinking water accessible and carry a refillable bottle when leaving home.

Prepare the home

Close blinds or curtains on sunny windows, reduce unnecessary indoor heat, and use air conditioning if available. Use the stove and oven less during a heat event. If electricity fails, follow your local emergency instructions; heat-related outages can affect refrigerated medicines and electrically powered medical devices.

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Choose cooling that works during the hottest hours

Cooling is not interchangeable. The safest option depends on whether it actually lowers body temperature, remains available during the hottest and overnight periods, is affordable and accessible, and can be reached safely.

Option What it provides Availability and access Important limits
Air conditioning at home Source-backed indoor cooling that lowers room temperature. Can protect you through the hottest hours and overnight if power and equipment are reliable. Requires working equipment, electricity, and the ability to pay for or obtain cooling.
Air-conditioned public location or cooling center Effective refuge when home cooling is unavailable or unsafe. Find locations through local authorities or 2-1-1 where that service operates; verify hours, transportation, accessibility, and admission rules. Travel itself can expose you to heat. Arrange a safe route and assistance for anyone with limited mobility.
Cool shower or bath Direct temporary cooling for a person who can safely use a bathroom. Useful at home without air conditioning, including before sleep. It does not replace a cool environment for the rest of the day or emergency treatment for severe symptoms.
Fan May improve comfort when indoor air is below 90°F. Usually inexpensive and available where electricity is present. The CDC advises using fans only when indoor temperatures are below 90°F; above that, a fan can increase body temperature. Do not depend on a fan alone in a very hot room.
Shade and outdoor rest breaks Reduces direct solar exposure while you are outside. Available during travel, work, or exercise if planned in advance. Shade does not make extreme heat safe by itself; shorten exposure and move to air conditioning when possible.

If your home has no air conditioning

The CDC’s guidance for people without air conditioning recommends preparing ahead, taking cool showers or baths, reducing heat from cooking, and finding an air-conditioned location. Do not treat fans as a complete solution when the room is very hot.

  1. Decide in advance where you will go during the hottest hours and how you will get there.
  2. Use cool showers or baths and apply cool, wet cloths to the skin for temporary relief.
  3. Keep blinds and curtains closed on sun-facing windows; open windows only when outdoor air is cooler and local air-quality guidance allows it.
  4. Prepare meals that require little or no oven or stovetop use.
  5. Check on neighbors who may not be able to travel independently.
  6. If you cannot cool the home or safely reach a cooler place, contact local emergency management, public-health authorities, or 2-1-1 where available for current options.

Read the CDC’s Heat and People without Air Conditioning guidance for additional planning considerations.

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Hydrate without creating another problem

  • Drink water at regular intervals throughout hot days and carry a bottle that you can refill.
  • Limit drinks high in sugar or sodium, along with caffeine and alcohol, as recommended by the CDC.
  • Do not wait for intense thirst before drinking, particularly when heat, illness, age, or medication can blunt normal warning signals.
  • If a clinician has prescribed fluid or salt limits, ask how to adapt them for hot weather rather than changing them yourself.
  • Someone who is confused, unconscious, vomiting repeatedly, or unable to swallow safely should not be given drinks; call emergency services instead.

Protect people at increased risk

Heat can harm anyone, but risk is higher for older adults, infants and children, pregnant people, and people with chronic heart, lung, kidney, or other health conditions. People who work or exercise outdoors can accumulate heat quickly. The CDC lists these groups and additional risk factors in People at Increased Risk for Heat-Related Illness.

Older adults and people living alone

Arrange a phone or in-person check at least daily during a prolonged heat event, and more often when alerts are severe or power is unreliable. Confirm that the person is drinking, can reach cooling, and has a working way to call for help.

Infants and children

Never leave a child or infant in a parked vehicle, even briefly. Keep young children in a cool environment, offer age-appropriate fluids, and watch them closely because they may not recognize or communicate overheating.

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Pregnant people and those with chronic conditions

Use the person’s clinician-approved plan. Ask specifically about fluid intake, activity limits, medicines, and what to do if refrigeration or powered equipment fails. Heat can change how some medicines affect hydration or temperature regulation.

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Outdoor workers and exercisers

Move strenuous tasks to early morning or evening when conditions are cooler, take frequent shaded or air-conditioned breaks, drink regularly, and use a buddy system. Stop immediately if dizziness, nausea, unusual weakness, cramps, or faintness develops.

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Recognize heat illness and give first aid

Use the CDC’s hot-weather illness guidance and the National Weather Service symptom guide to distinguish warning signs and act quickly.

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Early warning signs

Heavy sweating, nausea, headache, weakness, dizziness, muscle cramps, and fainting indicate that a person needs immediate cooling and rest.

  1. Move the person to an air-conditioned or shaded place.
  2. Stop activity and remove unnecessary outer clothing.
  3. Offer water only if the person is alert and can swallow safely.
  4. Apply cool, wet cloths or use a cool shower or bath if practical and safe.
  5. Stay with the person and monitor whether symptoms improve.

Emergency signs

Confusion, unusual behavior, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, seizures, or worsening symptoms may indicate heat stroke or another life-threatening condition. Call your local emergency number immediately. Move the person to a cooler place, begin cooling with cool wet cloths or other available methods, and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Do not give fluids to someone who is confused, unconscious, or unable to swallow.

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Combine heat and air-quality precautions

Hot weather can coincide with wildfire smoke, ozone, or other pollution. Check the current heat and air-quality advisories before exercising or working outdoors. When air quality is poor, keep windows closed if local guidance recommends it and use a filtered indoor environment if available. Do not exchange a dangerous hot room for polluted outdoor air without checking both hazards.

A practical daily heat-wave checklist

  • Check HeatRisk, the local forecast, and air quality.
  • Confirm where you will spend the hottest hours and how you will get there.
  • Test air conditioning, charge phones, and verify backup plans for outages.
  • Fill water bottles and plan regular drinking.
  • Reschedule strenuous outdoor work or exercise for cooler hours.
  • Contact people at elevated risk and confirm they are cool, hydrated, and able to call for help.
  • Keep cool cloths, light clothing, and necessary medicines available.
  • Review emergency symptoms with everyone in the household.

When to seek medical advice

Contact a clinician promptly if symptoms do not improve after moving to a cool place and resting, if vomiting prevents drinking, or if you need advice about medicines, fluid restrictions, pregnancy, a chronic condition, or a powered medical device. Emergency symptoms require emergency services rather than a routine appointment.

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