ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A study released by the CDC last week shows emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses increased in 2023 compared to the previous five years. New Mexico was one of the states with the highest rates of visits. 

Along with that study, the CDC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new tools to protect people from heat.

The first is called “HeatRisk,” that provides a seven-day forecast for people across the country, plus a scale showing the potential dangers of heat and humidity. 

That pairs with the CDC’s HeatRisk dashboard. Just type in your zip code in the search bar and see the real-time forecasted heat risks and how to stay safe. That includes information on how medicines may interact with heat and places to stay cool. 

In Albuquerque, a warm spring day at Tingley beach is good for catching up with friends, and catching dinner. But soon the heat will separate the causal from the serious fisherman. 

“Love it, been doing it since I was about 10. I’m not going to tell you how old I am now,” said Brian Herrington. 

Herrington says he’ll come out here all summer.

“I’m hardcore. I just keep drinking a lot of water, lots of it. I could drink two or three gallons easy. Might feel like a camel, but that’s OK,” said Herrington. 

Kilynn Stonestreet has a different motive. She’s eight months pregnant, and doesn’t venture far from her spot under the tree. 

“Trying to find shade and stuff is really important, being in the sun, I’ll get light-headed,” said Stonestreet. 

2023 was hot, and the National Weather Service expects this year to be the same if not hotter. The team at UNM hospital is getting ready.

“Around this time of year, we make sure we can get buckets of ice to cool people down and get people ready for that,” said UNM Emergency Medicine Dr. Jon Femling. 

Femling says last year was busy with more people in the ER with severe heat injuries. 

“What I saw a lot of last year seemed to be like thermal injuries from things like being on the roads. So like motorcycles or people who had fallen or collapsed and were on sidewalks, or the roads getting cooked and having really bad thermal burns from that,” Femling said. 

It wasn’t just in Albuquerque. According to our state’s Department of Health, in July 2023, we had 450 heat-related emergency visits. And more than 900 between April and September — that’s more than double the number recorded during that stretch in 2019.

But there are ways to stay safe. For example, water, shade, and light cool clothing.

“This is the time of year and even September as well, people think they’re going to be totally fine, but it doesn’t take much to get caught out on a pretty hot day and get pretty warm,” said Femling.

The National Weather Service also says this summer could feel longer. They say monsoon, which usually cools us down, could come a bit later this year. 

If you feel like you’re getting heated, Femling says shade, drinking water, and putting water on you can help. 

If you stop sweating and start vomiting and just can not get your body cooled down, that’s when you need to head to the emergency room.