State health officials warn residents to guard against heat-related illness as heat advisories and extreme heat warnings remain in effect statewide.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Public Health.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health is urging residents to take precautions against heat-related illness as heat advisories and extreme heat warnings remain in effect across the state.
According to the National Weather Service’s HeatRisk Map, South Carolina will face a prolonged period of extreme heat over the weekend and into the coming week, bringing major and extreme risk of heat-related effects to most of the state, according to DPH.
“Forecasts are calling for temperatures around 100 degrees, with even higher heat indexes,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, acting DPH director. “We urge everyone to take precautions to help protect themselves and their families from the extreme heat. People should take the risk of heat-related illnesses seriously because they can result in serious injury and even death.”
DPH is asking people to check on family, friends and neighbors, particularly those with chronic medical problems or who live alone, and to check on pets.
There were 246 hospitalizations and 2,014 emergency department visits for heat-related illness in South Carolina from May to September 2024, according to DPH’s Heat-Related Illness Dashboard. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, 15 people died from exposure to excessive natural heat, according to DPH. Infants and children, pregnant women and older adults face higher risk, according to the department.
DPH outlined three stages of heat-related illness: heat cramps, treated by resting in a cool place and drinking water; heat exhaustion, marked by cool, clammy skin, headache, nausea or dizziness, requiring rest and fluids; and heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency marked by red, hot, dry skin, confusion, rapid pulse and shallow breathing. DPH advises calling 911 immediately for suspected heat stroke while moving the person to shade, removing excess clothing and cooling them with water or ice packs.
DPH recommends drinking two to four glasses of cool fluids per hour during outdoor activity, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks, limiting strenuous outdoor activity, wearing lightweight clothing and seeking cooling centers such as malls or libraries.
More than 82,000 South Carolina workers spent over half their shifts outdoors in 2024, according to DPH, which advised outdoor workers to hydrate, seek shade, wear sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, and schedule tasks outside midday heat.
DPH also warned that a car’s interior can heat up 20 degrees in 10 minutes and urged residents to never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle, to keep cars locked to prevent children from entering unsupervised, and to call 911 if a child is seen alone in a car.
The department advised pet owners to avoid hot pavement that can burn paws and to ensure animals have shade and fresh water. Additional resources are available at www.heat.gov and through the South Carolina Emergency Management Division and DPH.
