Subscribe to our newsletter. Introduction Summer heat waves bring unusually high temperatures that may last for days or weeks. In the summer of 1980, a severe heat wave hit the United States, and nearly 1,700 people lost their lives from heat-related illness. Each year, high temperatures put people at risk.
People suffer heat-related illness when the body's temperature control system is overloaded.
The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn't enough. In such cases, a person's body temperature rises rapidly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs. Several factors affect the body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather.