Heat stroke vs. heat exhaustion: Safety tips as dangerous temperatures hit US

More than 185 cardinal Americans are connected alert for life-threatening vigor and humidity from South Dakota to Florida connected Monday.

Parts of Mississippi and Louisiana are connected alert for vigor indices -- what the somesthesia feels similar with humidity -- of up to 120 degrees.

Extreme vigor warnings are successful spot for parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois, wherever it could consciousness similar implicit 110 degrees.

Jordan Mueller sits successful the shadiness of a histrion during a vigor advisory, July 26, 2025, successful Nashville, Tenn.

George Walker Iv/AP

From Boston to Philadelphia, it'll consciousness similar the mid-90s to little 100s done Wednesday.

Extreme vigor is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard successful the U.S., according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. About 2,000 Americans dice each twelvemonth connected mean from utmost heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are vigor information tips from the CDC:

Wear sunscreen

Take precautions to forestall sunburn, which tin marque you dehydrated and impact your quality to chill down.

Use sunscreen that's SPF 15 oregon higher 30 minutes earlier going outside. Sunscreens that accidental "broad spectrum" oregon "UVA/UVB protection" are best.

Stay hydrated

Drink other fluids, and don't hold until you're thirsty.

Avoid precise sugary drinks and alcohol, which tin origin your assemblage to suffer much fluid, and beryllium wary of extra-cold drinks that whitethorn origin tummy cramps.

Avoiding blistery and dense meals besides tin trim your body's wide temperature.

Limit clip extracurricular

Cut down connected workout during vigor waves and remainder often and successful shady areas.

Try to bounds your clip extracurricular to erstwhile it is cooler, similar successful the aboriginal greeting and evening.

Check the car

Never permission children successful a parked car -- adjacent if windows are cracked open.

Monitor high-risk loved ones

Anyone tin endure from heat-related unwellness astatine immoderate time, but these radical are astatine greater risk:

-- Babies and young children
-- Overweight radical
-- Those 65 years aged oregon older
-- People who overexert during enactment oregon workout
-- Those who endure from bosom illness oregon precocious humor unit and those who instrumentality definite medications, including for depression, insomnia oregon mediocre circulation

Watch for signs of illness

Symptoms of vigor changeable include:
-- Body somesthesia of 103 degrees oregon higher
-- Hot, red, adust oregon damp skin
-- Fast, beardown pulse
-- Headache
-- Dizziness
-- Nausea
-- Confusion
-- Passing out
-- No longer sweating

Symptoms of vigor exhaustion include:
-- Heavy sweating
-- Cold, pale, clammy skin
-- Fast, anemic pulse
-- Nausea oregon vomiting
-- Muscle cramps
-- Feeling bushed oregon weak
-- Headache
-- Passing out

If idiosyncratic shows symptoms of vigor changeable oregon vigor exhaustion, telephone 911, determination them determination cooler and usage towels to chill down their body.

Don't hide astir your furry friends!

Here are immoderate tips from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for however to support your pets harmless successful the heat: supply plentifulness of caller h2o truthful they don't get dehydrated; don't over-exercise pets; ne'er permission pets unsocial successful a parked car; and ticker for symptoms of overheating, which see excessive panting, trouble breathing, accrued bosom and respiratory complaint and drooling.

Animals with level faces, similar pugs, can't sound arsenic good and are much astatine hazard of vigor stroke. These pets, arsenic good arsenic older and overweight pets, should beryllium kept wrong arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

What constitutes a vigor wave?

A vigor question is simply a continuous play of abnormally blistery weather, mostly lasting implicit 2 days, according to the National Weather Service.

However, the explanation of a vigor question varies by region.

In the Midwest and the Northeast, a vigor question is considered 3 oregon much days successful a enactment of temperatures of astatine slightest 90 degrees. But successful Phoenix, for example, temperatures are regularly good supra 90 degrees and into the triple digits without it being from a vigor wave. So a vigor question is comparative to the section mean somesthesia and whitethorn necessitate temperatures to beryllium importantly supra mean for respective days, according to the NWS.

ABC News' Kyle Reiman contributed to this report.