TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- It's something Mississippi residents deal with every year: the arrival of those blistering temperatures and a sticky climate that can only mean summer has arrived.
"Last year it was really bad, too, but this year, it seemed like it was cooler at the early start, and seemed like it took it longer to get hotter," Nettleton resident Ricky Kent said.
But when it's hot -- and you're outside for an extended period of time -- that's where you need to be very careful.
"A lot of times it will slip up on a patient. They don't realize that they're starting to get dehydrated and things build to a point where all of a sudden, they realize there's something wrong or they faint," Barnes Crossing Urgent Care Center Dr. Billy Walton said.
Swimming serves as one obvious way to cool down while outdoors, but what can residents do while mowing the lawn or even just walking around somewhere?
More than anything else, hydration is key to keeping your core body temperature under control, Dr. Walton said.
Those who don't may experience symptoms like confusion or a pronounced lack of sweat, among others.
"What you mainly see is headache, blurred vision and this overwhelming feeling of weakness," Dr. Walton said.
Resident Jauna Ellis knows that all too well. With two kids, she said she feels more like a nurse than a mother sometimes.
"As moms, we wear all different kinds of hats, and our kids are our first priority, even in the hot weather," Ellis said. "We just want to make sure the kids are always taken care of, make sure they're hydrated, and overall have fun in the summertime, because that's what it's about."
Dr. Walton says young children and the elderly are most at risk for heat exhaustion.
