Make a plan for very hot days
Cooling, hydration and a practical heat plan help prevent heat illness and worsening heart or kidney problems.
The number, drawn
About 489,000 heat related deaths yearly worldwide, estimated for 2000 to 2019
Why it matters
Extreme heat makes the body work harder to maintain a safe temperature. WHO reports an estimated 489,000 heat related deaths per year worldwide in studies covering 2000 to 2019. This describes the scale of the hazard, while individual risk depends on exposure, age, illness, medicines and access to cooling.
How to do it
- Follow local heat alerts and identify a cool place you can use if home becomes too hot.
- Shift outdoor tasks away from the hottest hours and use shade.
- Drink water regularly and use cool showers or wet cloths to cool down.
- Check on older people and children, and never leave anyone in a parked vehicle.
- Review a heat plan with your clinician if you have a chronic condition or take medicines that affect heat tolerance.
Ask about safe fluid intake if you have a fluid restriction. Confusion, collapse or suspected heatstroke needs emergency help and immediate cooling; do not stop medicines on your own.
Do it
Pick the time you have. Anything beats nothing.
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Choose the coolest place you could use during a heat alert: a cooler room, a cooled public building or someone's home.
5 minutes
Check the heat alert and opening hours of a cooled place you can use; choose how to get there safely.
15 minutes
Move outdoor tasks to cooler hours and arrange a check-in with someone who needs help staying cool.
30 minutes
Write a heat plan: cool destination, transport, check-in contacts and who needs help; include questions about fluid limits.
A plan
Prepare before the next heat alert
- Identify a cool room and a backup cooled location with a way to reach it.
- Arrange check-ins and shift outdoor tasks to cooler hours.
- Ask your clinician about a heat plan if medicines, chronic illness or fluid limits affect you.
- During heat, use cooling such as a damp cloth and follow local advice; confusion or collapse needs immediate emergency help.
In real life
- Move an outdoor errand to a cooler part of the day and use a shaded route.
- If home stays too hot, use a cooled public building you can safely reach.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeWaiting in an overheated home can be unsafe, so arrange access to a cooler place.
- Common mistakeExtra water is not right for every condition, so ask about fluids if you have a restriction and do not stop medicines yourself.
Trusted guides
Check usSources
- Evidence grade
- A Meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus.
- Basis
- WHO and CDC heat protection guidance, with global mortality burden evidence
- The number
- About 489,000 heat related deaths yearly worldwide, estimated for 2000 to 2019 (WHO, 2026)
- Tier 1 guidelineHeat and healthWHO, 2026
- Tier 1 guidelineHeat and Older Adults Aged 65+CDC, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineHeatwaves: How to stay coolWHO, 2024
General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.