Heatwave
Days and nights are far hotter than normal and heat illness becomes a real risk, especially for the old, very young and sick.
Warning signs
- Official heat health alert or extreme heat warning
- Night temperatures that stay high
- Someone in the home with heavy sweating, cramps, dizziness or confusion
Stay or go
Stay home if you can keep at least one room cool. Go to a cooling centre or other cool public place if your home has no way to stay cool.
Do now
- Close windows, curtains and blinds in the day and open them at night when it is cooler. (thermal-12)
- Drink extra fluids and avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks.
- Stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm and avoid hard activity in the midday heat.
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car.
- Check on older people, young children, pregnant people, the chronically ill and anyone living alone.
Then
- Do not rely on a fan as your main cooling; fans do not lower body temperature.
- Use cool showers, cool water on skin and cold food to cool down.
- Treat heat stroke as an emergency: very high temperature, hot dry skin, confusion or collapse means call emergency services. (safety-25)
- For cramps or heat exhaustion, move somewhere cooler, loosen clothing and sip water. (safety-25)
- Give animals shade and cool water; hot paving can burn paws.
Related steps
Sources
- Extreme heat. Ready.gov (FEMA), accessed 2026-11
- Heatwave: how to cope in hot weather. NHS (UK), accessed 2026-11