Heat illnesses can be deadly. On very hot days, sometimes your body temperature control systems can't keep up and your body temperature can get dangerously high. This makes you at greater risk for serious heat illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency. Dial 9-1-1 or get immediate medical help if you are concerned about your health or someone else's health when it's hot outside.
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Use the map below to find somewhere to take a break in air conditioning or splash in cool water. Please call the site before you go to confirm it is open and if there are entry fees. If you're going to a lake or pond, be sure to look for cyanobacteria blooms before going in the water. If you need more help finding or getting to a cooling site, please call 2-1-1. Swimming holes are typically not displayed on this map, but they may provide a safe option when following these safety tips.
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Heat illnesses are a real danger, even here in our northern climate. Vermonters go to the emergency room for heat illnesses just as often as people in Maryland. Being young does not protect you from heat illness. In fact, Vermonters between the ages of 15 and 34 have a greater risk of going to the emergency room for a heat-related reason compared to adults aged 35 to 65.
In general, risk for heat illnesses is greater for people with:
More exposure to hot conditions – especially outdoor workers and hobbyists, urban residents and people experiencing homelessness
More sensitivity to heat exposure – anyone not accustomed to hot weather, older adults and young children, people who are overweight or have a chronic medical condition (for example, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes), and people using recreational drugs, alcohol or some prescription medications
Limited resources – especially people who live alone, have limited transportation options, have no air conditioning or can’t afford to run their air conditioner
People who feel unwell or faint in hot weather are also at risk of serious or deadly falls.
People with chronic conditions may not show typical signs of heat illness, but rather worsened symptoms of their condition. If you or someone you know has a potentially dangerous chronic condition and begins to feel sick during a hot day, pay very close attention. Get immediate medical help if you have concerns about someone's condition.
Vermonters are at greater risk for serious heat-related illnesses, and even death, when the statewide average temperature reaches 87°F or hotter. Since 2000, Vermont has had an average of seven hot days per year when the temperature reached 87°F or hotter.
Climate models from the Vermont State Climate Office predict 15 to 20 hot days per year by mid-century, and 20 to 34 hot days per year by the end of the century. As the climate warms and there are more hot days, more heat illnesses and deaths will occur. Some of these impacts can be avoided by taking actions to prepare and adapt.
Learn more about hot weather impacts and adaptation strategies
Stay in the shade, in air-conditioning if you can, or in cool places such as basements.
Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Take cool showers.
Use fans, but don't rely on them as the only way to stay cool.
Go to public buildings that are air-conditioned.
Sleep without sheets.
Avoid hot drinks and meals.
Drink more water than usual, especially if you're exercising or active outdoors.
Be proactive, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water.
Don't drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
Take it easy when it's hot.
Reduce outdoor work and exercise and limit it to the cooler parts of the day.
Ask for help if you feel sick.
Stop what you are doing if you feel faint or weak.
Be more cautious if you have a chronic health condition.
Call your loved ones and neighbors to check on them, especially if they are older or have chronic health conditions.
Make sure they are drinking enough water and are staying cool.
Remind them to take heat seriously.
Draw light-colored shades to keep out the sun—dark-colored shades can be less effective.
Close windows during the day when it is hotter outside than inside.
Open windows at night when it's cooler outside than inside.
Use fans to blow in cooler outside air or vent out warmer inside air.
Limit use of the stove, oven and other heat-generating appliances.
Download a printable version of the Heat Safety Tips fact sheet
Limit use of the stove, oven and other heat-generating appliances during hot weather.
Seal air leaks and increase insulation to keep buildings cooler in summer (and warmer in winter).
Plant trees and shrubs around buildings to increase summer shade and cooling breezes.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs that stay much cooler and save energy.
Install a heat pump or efficient air conditioner.
Learn more about ways to keep your home cool at Efficiency Vermont.
Create a community response plan that identifies protective actions to take on hot days.
Open a cooling center by following the community cooling center guidance.
Send out messages via social media or Front Porch Form to communicate to your community about how to prepare for hot weather, what to do, and what resources are available.
Mobilize local care networks to check on people at high risk for heat illness.
Limit or cancel outdoor job, school or extracurricular activities, including athletic practices, games and other outdoor events.
Plant trees and shrubs, and reduce paved surfaces to keep urbanized areas cooler.
Promote energy-efficient building design, including use of cool roofs and pavements.
Develop a plan for protecting the safety of outdoor workers on hot days.
Provide water, rest and shade on hot days.
Use the Heat Safety Tool App to monitor local conditions.
Learn more and find resources to help with planning, training, and education from VOSHA or NIOSH.
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Read about what to do if someone is experiencing heat illness symptoms. |
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The Index draws together 17 different measures of vulnerability in six different themes: population, socioeconomic, health, environmental, climate, and heat illness. These measures are combined to measure the overall vulnerability of Vermont towns to heat-related events. |
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Learn more from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention about how to stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed. |
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This fact sheet from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention talks about actions we can take to prepare for climate change and extreme heat events. |
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National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Toolkit |
The NIHHIS is an integrated system and an interagency partnership with the goal to reduce morbidity and mortality due to extreme heat. |
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This document details the association of summer temperatures with heat-related illness and mortality in Vermont. |
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This report provides a description of and rationale for the methods used to produce the Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index. |
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This is a two-page summary description of the Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index. |
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This fact sheet has steps you can take to keep yourself and your friends and family safe from heat. |
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This fact sheet describes the impacts climate change will have on the number of hot days in Vermont, what health impacts heat has on Vermonters, and adaptation strategies for individuals, communities, businesses, and other organizations. |
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A data brief that illustrates the burden of heat-related versus cold-related illness and death in general, as well as in terms of whether or not the illness or death occurred at home. |
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Data dashboard with heat and health data, near-real time heat data and historic trend data |
