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:
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
Download a printable version of the Heat Safety Tips fact sheet
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Heat Illnesses and First Aid | Read about what to do if someone is experiencing heat illness symptoms. |
| Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index Maps | 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. |
| Extreme Heat and Health | Learn more from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention about how to stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed. |
| Climate Change and Heat Impacts on Health | 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. |
| 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. |
| Heat Impacts on Health in Vermont | This document details the association of summer temperatures with heat-related illness and mortality in Vermont. |
| Heat Vulnerability in Vermont | This report provides a description of and rationale for the methods used to produce the Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index. |
| Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index | This is a two-page summary description of the Vermont Heat Vulnerability Index. |
| Heat Safety Tips | This fact sheet has steps you can take to keep yourself and your friends and family safe from heat. |
| Climate Change and Hot Weather | 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. |
| Illness and Death Due to Hot and Cold Weather | 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. |
| Explore Vermont Heat Data | Data dashboard with heat and health data, near-real time heat data and historic trend data |
