Weather / Heat & cold
Heat and hard freezes don't look as dramatic as a tornado, but they're among the deadliest hazards Texas faces - heat because it creeps up, and cold because Texas isn't built for it. Both kill in ways that are largely preventable.
Heat is a quiet killer - the deadliest weather hazard in the country, and one of the very top dangers in Texas too (the state ranks just behind Arizona for heat deaths). Here, only flooding takes more lives. Heat creeps up on you, which is exactly what makes it so dangerous.
The one thing
Know heat stroke: hot skin, a high temperature, and especially confusion or passing out. It's a life-threatening emergency - call 911 immediately and cool the person down fast while you wait.
Heat illness comes in two stages - learn to tell them apart:
Signs: Heavy sweating, weakness, cool/pale clammy skin, nausea, headache, dizziness, cramps.
Do this: Move to a cool place, sip water, remove extra clothing, and cool the skin with wet cloths. It can turn into heat stroke - watch closely.
Signs: Hot skin, a body temperature above 103 degrees, a fast strong pulse, and - the key sign - confusion, slurred speech, or passing out.
Do this: Call 911 now. Move the person to a cooler place and cool them fast (wet cloths, a cool bath). Do not give fluids to someone who isn't fully alert.
Texas isn't built for hard freezes, which makes them especially dangerous - as the deadly February 2021 winter storm showed, when a statewide freeze knocked out power for millions for days (the official toll was 246, with independent estimates far higher).
The one thing
Carbon monoxide is the big killer after the lights go out. Never run a generator, grill, camp stove, or charcoal indoors or in a garage - even with the door open - and never heat your home with the stove or oven. Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless; put a CO detector in your home.
Official sources
Heat illness and winter safety come from the National Weather Service; extreme-heat health risks and carbon-monoxide prevention from the CDC. After a freeze, carbon monoxide is the danger to plan around.
Caution: Heat and cold warnings are issued in real time and aren't shown here. Check the National Weather Service for current conditions, and call 911 for heat stroke or hypothermia.
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