Memphis area to be under heat advisory. What to know about forecast, heat exhaustion
More than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The elderly, the very young and people with chronic diseases, especially chronic respiratory diseases, are especially at risk for heat stroke, Dr. Jeff Mullins, a physician with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, previously told The Commercial Appeal. But anyone can have a heat-related injury during periods of sustained high temperatures.
Here's what you need to know as extreme heat hits the region.
How can I stay safe in the heat?
One of the best things you can do to avoid heat stroke is 'simply not be out in the sun in the middle of the day,' Mullins said. He also recommended doing any yard work when it's cloudy or when the sun is going down to avoid direct sunlight.
Additionally, Mullins recommended hydrating far in advance of any outdoor activities. For example, if you're planning on doing yard work on the weekend, make sure you're hydrating on Friday night.
The NWS recommended taking frequent breaks in the shade, wearing lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing and avoiding strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day.
Mullins advised taking a break in the shade for every hour you're outside. He cautioned against taking breaks indoors ― cooling off indoors puts stress on your body to reacclimate to the heat when you go back outdoors.
It's also helpful to drink electrolytes, he said. He recommended alternating a drink like Pedialyte for every bottle of water. If Gatorade is your electrolyte of choice, you should drink it every third bottle, because its high sugar content can be dehydrating, Mullins said.
How hot is too hot to be outside?
A healthy adult should delay outdoor activities if the heat index breaks 110, Mullins said. It could take a healthy person a few hours to become dehydrated, but for children or the elderly, it can be as short as 30 minutes, he said.
Heat index is not the same as temperature ― it's calculated with both temperature and humidity. More water vapor in the air causes more heat to be transferred to your body, he said.
Mullins recommended using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Heat and Health tracker, an online tool that allows you to enter your zip code and see your heat risk.
The NWS also warned never to leave children or pets unattended in vehicles during high heat.
What is the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke?
The most common heat-related injuries are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion occurs when a person has been exposed to too much heat and is dehydrated. Heat exhaustion is not necessarily a crisis, Mullins said, but it can trigger other health issues like a heart attack or a stroke.
However, heat stroke is a medical emergency. The treatment is ice, hydration and rest, Mullins said.
It's important to watch for the warning signs of heat injuries. Lightheadedness is probably one of the first things a young person will notice. If you feel lightheaded after bending down, it's time to take a break, he said.
Dry skin, confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures and high body temperatures are also symptoms of heat stroke, according to the CDC.
'If you find someone that has passed out in the heat…you need to assume heat stroke,' Mullins said. 'Don't worry about whether they look like they're sweating or not, or how they feel when they wake up. If they've passed out, that's a 911 to the emergency room.'
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis heat advisory: NWS forecast, what to know about heat stroke
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
7 hours ago
- Medscape
Remembering Dr Atul Butte, a Medical Hero
'Like Mike. If I could be like Mike.' On August 8, 1991, Gatorade launched one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history. "Be Like Mike" featured children and adults of all backgrounds emulating basketball great Michael Jordan's moves while the famous jingle played: "Sometimes I dream / That he is me / You've got to see that's how I dream to be." (The rest will play in your head. You're welcome). The campaign tapped into our primal need for role models. Atul Butte, MD, PhD The ad's genius lay not in selling sugar water but in commodifying aspiration. Here was the divine Jordan, tongue out, defying gravity, and a simple message: You too can transcend earthly limitations. We all knew better. And yet, I had my own Mike-like space-creating move to a fadeaway that worked (once). I'm sure I pumped my fist like Mike when it dropped. Heroes like Jordan are harder to find in medicine, but we can still seek them out among the diagnostic savants, the surgical virtuosos, the masterful presenters. Dr Atul Butte, a pediatric endocrinologist turned data evangelist, was one of those heroes. Like with Jordan, I never met Dr Butte but knew him from afar. His talks were inspiring, not just for his comedic, down-to-earth style, but also for the work that they represented. Butte trained as a pediatric endocrinologist. Early in his career, he recognized that while we doctors generate massive amounts of data — from research, electronic medical records, genomics — we weren't making full use of it. Hidden in those gigabytes were insights that could improve diagnosis and treatment and prevent disease. So, Butte pivoted. He immersed himself in data science. He collaborated across disciplines. And he refused to let traditional career paths define him. Over time, he became a leader in computational health, founded multiple biotech startups, and directed informatics for all of the University of California Health Systems. His mission was to transform messy data into actionable knowledge that helps patients. What I find inspiring about Butte isn't just the scale of his success; it was his curiosity. His refusal to accept 'this is the way we do things.' His optimism. And his remarkable generosity. He was as enthusiastic about sharing as he was about discovering. The crush of conference goers would always be six deep to the dais when lights came up. There's something moving about this commitment to sharing knowledge and tools, especially in an era when information is hoarded as intellectual property. Butte's students — now scattered across universities and hospitals and technology companies — carry forward not just his methods but his approach to problems: curious, collaborative, persistently optimistic about the possibility of reducing human suffering through better understanding. Watching highlight reels of Dr Butte's career, we can see what separates the GOATs from the rest of us. He showed us that we should value connection as much as we value expertise. To see that in a world drowning in information, the ability to make meaningful connections across different domains of knowledge is essential for excellence. His core philosophy, summed up as "unfreezing" biomedical data, was a vision for the future of medicine. His genius was in asking simple, yet audacious questions: "What if we could spot patterns across millions of patients, not just the few in our own clinics?' This wasn't idle curiosity; it was a pragmatic, mischievous drive to build the teams and tools to make it happen. In one striking example, Butte's team analyzed data to discover that cimetidine showed promise in treating lung adenocarcinoma. Here was a drug sitting on shelves for decades and hidden there was something that might help patients with cancer. His virtuoso was to play effortlessly between medicine, computer science, and engineering. After his untimely death at the age of 55 in June, tributes to him poured into LinkedIn. Colleagues remembered him not just as a visionary, but as a "big bear of a man with a huge smile and love for everyone." He was described as having "energy that could power a room" and a unique ability to "elevate people around him." His advocacy and his dedication to mentoring "hundreds if not thousands" of students and researchers — making them feel supported and seen — speak volumes. He believed in "scalable privilege," that data insights should be accessible to all, and he lived that belief by empowering those around him. Dr Atul Butte showed us new, creative moves, and perhaps just as important, the same encouraging, radiant Jordan-like smile that made us believe we could actually play like him. By nurturing that curiosity — and channeling a bit of that infectious optimism — we can discover new tools and techniques to advance the practice of medicine. We should all wanna be like him. Jeffrey Benabio, MD, MBA, is chief of dermatology at Kaiser Permanente San Diego. The opinions expressed in this column are his own and do not represent those of Kaiser Permanente. Dr Benabio is @Dermdoc on X.
Axios
8 hours ago
- Axios
A heat dome and "corn sweat" are driving this week's dangerous heat wave
A heat dome — plus the "corn sweat" phenomenon in some areas — is bringing dangerous levels of heat and humidity to much of the country east of the Rockies this week. Why it matters: Heat warnings and advisories stretch from Louisiana and the Florida panhandle up to Chicago and beyond as of Tuesday afternoon, covering nearly 85 million Americans. Driving the news: The main driver is hot, moist air being drawn up from the Atlantic and trapped by a high pressure ridge. Also contributing in some places: "Corn sweat," wherein vast amounts of growing corn and other produce give off moisture through evapotranspiration, further increasing humidity levels in and around agricultural zones. "While corn sweat is never the main reason for major heat," Axios Des Moines' Linh Ta wrote back in 2023, "it can add to it." What they're saying: " This is the time of the year when humidity contributions from corn sweat are highest — around the time of tasseling and pollination, when the flower emerges from the corn stalk," as Iowa state climatologist Justin Glisan told the Washington Post. Zoom in: Conditions could be particularly brutal in Chicago, where the local National Weather Service office is warning of heat indices over 105°F for Wednesday and Thursday. High humidity is especially dangerous, as Axios' Tina Reed and Natalie Daher recently reported, disrupting our bodies' ability to regulate temperatures. Threat level: Long-duration heat waves can be particularly serious events, with warm evenings offering less of a reprieve and extreme heat having a cumulative effect on our health. Extreme heat is the most deadly weather event in the U.S., and research has shown that human-driven climate change is making such events both more intense and more frequent. What they're saying: " Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors," the NWS Milwaukee office advises.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- USA Today
See where COVID cases are rising amid summer wave: New CDC data
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows activity of COVID-19 is increasing across a wide swath of the country. As the U.S. approaches the midpoint of summer, the CDC is reporting cases of the virus are growing or likely growing in more than half of all states, including many in the South and Southeast. The center's July 18 report shows at least 26 states plus Washington, D.C., are encountering a summer surge, according to its epidemic trend modeling, using data from emergency department visits. The CDC notes its modeling indicates trends in overall cases, not the actual numbers of current infections. New COVID variant is spreading: What are the symptoms? A familiar summer surge The rate of positive COVID-19 tests is increasing nationally, the CDC said of the last week in data, with emergency department visits for the virus are increasing among children 4 years old and younger. Though there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases in more than two dozen states, the CDC says the overall amount of people seeking care for acute respiratory illnesses is at a very low level. That's accompanied by low levels of seasonal influenza activity and very low levels of RSV activity, the CDC says. Overall, trends in COVID-19 cases continue downward as compared to the last few years, according to long-term data trends in deaths, emergency room visits and positive cases. The U.S. has seen a wave of higher COVID-19 cases every summer since 2020. COVID-19 in 2025: What's the latest vaccine guidance? It's complicated. COVID-19 cases are growing in 10 states: The CDC's latest report says cases are likely growing in more than a dozen other states, plus Washington, D.C. In one state − Montana − COVID-19 cases are likely declining. COVID-19 cases are likely growing in the following 16 states: Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
