Both heat exhaustion and heat stroke are heat-related illnesses, but one is a medical emergency that can kill.
What’s Happening: Memorial Day weekend is here, and with it comes real risk for anyone spending time outside in the heat. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are not the same thing, and knowing the difference could save a life.
Know the signs: Heat exhaustion shows up as dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea, weakness, and thirst. Heat stroke is more dangerous. Someone with heat stroke may be confused, dizzy, or unconscious.
What’s Important: The response to each condition is different. Heat exhaustion can often be handled without calling 911 if you act quickly. Heat stroke cannot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability without emergency treatment.
What to do:
If someone shows signs of heat exhaustion:
- Move them somewhere cool
- Loosen their clothing
- Have them sip cool water
- Get medical help if they do not start feeling better
If someone shows signs of heat stroke, call 911 right away. While you wait for help, move the person to a cooler spot, remove extra layers of clothing, and cool them down with water or ice.
How this affects real people: Heat exhaustion that goes untreated can turn into heat stroke, so acting early matters for anyone outside this weekend.
The path forward: Georgia’s hottest months are still ahead. Heat risk will stay high through the summer for anyone working or spending long stretches of time outdoors.
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B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
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