With a heat index higher than 100, Monday was the hottest day of the year.
The high at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport reached 98, and the humidity caused the heat index to climb higher than 100 all across North Texas, NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist David Finfrock said.
Parkland Hospital said its emergency room staff is ready for an increase in heat-related illnesses. Dallas emergency crews soon will be carrying coolers full of ice for treating patients.
"When we're on heat-related emergencies, the most important thing is getting them to a cool place and cooling them off, and doing that with ice is a lot easier than any other means," Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Lt. Jason Evans said.
The Dallas library and other public buildings provide a cool place for people to seek shelter during the heat of the day. But Dallas will not activate its heat plan until temperatures and humidity are consistently at a dangerous level.
When that happens, Dallas mother Olivia Brown said she and her family may have to migrate out of town.
"We're going to have to make some visits up north just to try and escape the heat a little bit," she said.
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On Monday, she and her four children sought heat relief at the Tieze Park pool.
"They need this just to get their energy out during the day," Brown said.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the low 90s for the rest of the week. There is a slight risk of severe weather Monday night, but North Texas will see more chances for scattered thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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