Staying Cool & Safe During Dangerous North Texas Heat

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Brace yourself, because dangerous heat is in the North Texas weather forecast nearly every day this week. In fact, this will be the hottest week that the DFW area has seen in the last two years. Over the next seven days, at least, temperatures will reach into the triple digits.

The thermometer could even hit 106 degrees on Thursday and Friday.

With those sweltering temperatures comes the risk of heat-related injuries and illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. MedStar has already responded to 264 heat-related emergencies since the beginning of May. That is almost double the amount of calls that they were seeing by this time last year.

Do you need somewhere to go in order to escape the dangerously hot weather? Perhaps your air conditioning is broken, or you work outside and need a break from the sun. The Salvation Army has more than a dozen cooling centers across North Texas, where people can cool down and stay safe.

The cooling stations are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. all this week. The Salvation Army has also extended the hours at two of their homeless shelters. Click here for locations and much more heat-related information including ways to know the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion, and updated information on the temperatures.

Even those who have a cool place to stay should take precautions. Wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing and limit all outdoor activity. Remember to check on elderly loved ones and neighbors who are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and may not be aware of how hot it is in their homes. Check for children and pets when you get out of your car. Hot car deaths are a sad part of every summer. And remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate -- lots of water.