Temperatures rise across North Carolina
State health officials issued a health alert this week, during the area's first stretch of 90 degree weather.
Not everyone has the luxury of sitting in front of an air conditioner all summer, and how hot you get could be a matter of life and death.
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Alfredo Morales keeps a full cooler of water for those unbearably hot days.
He and his crew work outside, so he strategizes how to complete his tasks and keep his crew from overheating.
"We know that the sun is going to come this way," Morales said.
If they get too hot, they know it's time to take a break.
"You can feel the heat and you start to feel nauseous, so it's time to go sit down in the shade," Morales explained.
North Carolina's Health Department issued that health alert to remind people that extra precautions need to be taken to prevent heat-related illnesses.
Officials say there are certain things to remember throughout the summer.
If you experience muscle cramps, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting, you may need immediate medical attention. But hopefully, with these tips, you can avoid those symptoms.
Some of those medications could be drugs for high-blood pressure, migraines, allergies, mental illness, or muscle spasms.
The very young, the elderly, people who are sick, and people who work outside are most at risk for heat-related illnesses.
Morales and his crew know that working in the elements comes with the job, but the heat is the hardest.
"In the cold it's better...if you sweat you start to taking clothes off, wear extra clothes. But heat is something you have to be careful about."
Everyone should remember that it's too hot to leave your kids or your pets inside a car while you run in somewhere, even to run a quick errand, and even with windows rolled down.
Nationwide, since October, 34 children have died in cars when they were left unattended.
