What heat does to your body — and how to stay safe this week in Detroit

Last year extreme heat killed more people in the U.S. than tornadoes, hurricanes and floods combined .

Heat waves and climate change

Climate change is making extreme heat more common. In the 1960s, major U.S. cities could expect two heat waves per year. In the 2010s and 2020s, that number rose to six heat waves per year , according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A heat wave is a period of two or more consecutive days when the daily minimum temperature is hotter than 85% of July and August historic temperatures.

So Detroiters need to be on guard this week, with forecasters calling for a record run of extreme heat. Daily high temperatures are expected to rise above 90ºF all week, with humidity pushing the heat index above 100ºF.

People should not ignore the risks of heat, particularly those most vulnerable to its effects —  seniors, people who work outdoors, outdoor athletes, people with disabilities and young children.

“I am asking everyone to take extra precautions, especially those who are most vulnerable,” Denise Fair Razo, Detroit’s Chief Public Health Officer said in a statement . “Please check in on your loved ones and neighbors, and don’t forget about pets.”

Humans can survive and even thrive when it’s hot out — if they have the appropriate resources and take precautions.

Here’s how heat affects the human body, and how you and your loved ones can stay cool this week.

How to stay cool this week

Air conditioning is a good place to start. If you’re lucky enough to have air conditioning at home, the indoors are a great place to beat the heat.

If not, plenty of air-conditioned spaces across the city are open to the public. Click here for a list , which includes recreation centers and libraries.

Water is your friend, too. Swim in it — Brennan Pool is a marvel and Belle Isle is a lovely option — and drink plenty too.

Wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothes can help, too .

Heat is also linked to ozone air pollution, a combination of chemicals that exacerbates asthma and other lung conditions .

High levels of ozone prompted the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to issue an air quality advisory for the Detroit area on Monday. Officials warned residents to avoid prolonged outdoor exercise and to wear masks.

To help limit ozone in the air, you can avoid putting ingredients of ozone into the environment. Avoid refueling your car, using gasoline-powered lawn equipment and using charcoal lighter fluid.

Your body’s response to heat

Maintaining your body temperature is a matter of survival. A 10- to 15-minutes increase in your core body temperatures — known as heat stroke — can kill you .

Given that risk, it makes sense that we feel extremely sensitive to heat and cold. Nerve endings in the skin transmit temperature information to the brain , which has a menu of possible emergency responses.

Some of these responses involve escaping the offending temperature. You can fan yourself, for instance, or move to an air-conditioned room.

Others involve involuntary physical processes. When we sweat, the liquid carries heat away from our body and cools us off. The heart pumps harder and faster to transport blood closer to the skin, where it can more easily be cooled down.

The strain involved in that process helps explain why heart problems , not heat stroke, are the biggest killers during heat waves, and why people with heart disease or other cardiovascular problems are especially at risk during a heat wave.

Researchers have linked extreme heat to increased room visits, mental health issues, and problems with pregnancy and birth.

What heat does to your body — and how to stay safe this week in Detroit · Outlier Media