The New Yorker:

A record-breaking heat wave is expected to drive temperatures north of a hundred degrees across huge swaths of the United States. More than a hundred million people may be affected. We spoke to Dhruv Khullar, a contributing writer and physician, who has covered the effects of extended exposure to heat on the body.

Q: Just how dangerous is this kind of heat event?

Khullar: How bad it is really depends on who you are. Extreme heat is most dangerous for certain vulnerable populations, including young kids, older adults, people who have underlying medical conditions, people who don’t have access to good air conditioning, or those whose work keeps them outdoors.

Heat waves are among the deadliest weather-related events. Every year, they kill many more people than hurricanes or tornadoes or floods, and they send a lot of people to the hospital for things such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Unfortunately, this is something that is going to increasingly be part of our lives in the years and the decades to come.

The most important things you can do are to stay hydrated with cool fluids and stay indoors with air conditioning, if possible. If you need to go outside, try to do that early in the morning or later in the evening—avoid the midday heat. And, if you do go outside, wear loose-fitting clothing and stay in the shade as much as possible. Some cities have cooling centers now; it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with where those are.

If you or someone you know ends up having serious symptoms during a heat wave—if you’re feeling light-headed or dizzy, or getting confused, or having trouble staying awake—then it’s time to seek medical attention.

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