10 Tips For Dallas Locals For Surviving The Texas Heat

Everything is bigger in Texas — especially the heat, as travelers to the Dallas metro area for the 2026 FIFA World Cup quickly learned, landing amid a raging heat wave and triple-digit Fahrenheit temperatures. It's important not to underestimate how truly dangerous that heat can be. When you're baking under temps in the upper end of the mercury, something as simple as a jog can feel okay while you're doing it, but still land you in the hospital if you aren't careful.

In this part of the United States, temperatures can run north of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius) starting in June, often running into the triple-digit range. "Dallas is a concrete island. It just compounds the heat problem," warned one local via Reddit. Even if you wake up to moderate temperatures, the midday heat can elevate fast, potentially leading to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, severe sunburn, dehydration, or even sun poisoning. 

But most of these can be avoided if you're careful. As a near-Texas neighbor who has logged hundreds of summertime hours hanging out in the DFW region over the course of my lifetime, I can't overemphasize the importance of preparing for the heat. Just as our Northern neighbors rely on parkas and thermals to protect them from frostbite, Southern folks rely on a handful of tips and tricks to survive the summer heat. Whether you're heading to the area for work, vacation, or just cruising down to check out Texas' new record-breaking roller coaster, bookmark this post to check out when you're packing and throughout your trip. 

Southern women tend to carry big purses — and one thing you'll find in just about every Texas mom's purse during the summer months is a bottle of sunscreen. When the Dallas sun sits high in the sky, that radiation can do its work quickly, leading to sunburn in as little as 15 minutes. Texas sunburns can also be intense, leading to blisters in more serious cases. While lighter folks tend to get hit the hardest, even the more melanated among us can pick up a burn when the summer heat is truly raging. You don't even have to be in full sun to get burned — simply driving around in a car without tinted windows or sitting indoors next to a window can lead to sunburn on some days.

To protect yourself, toss a high-SPF and preferably mineral sunscreen in your bag before heading out for the day. Dermatologists recommend reapplying every two hours for maximum safety and effectiveness. "Don't let the mild weather fool you, slather on that sunscreen especially if you're going to be outdoors for any extended period of time," warned one local on r/Dallas. "Protect your skin!"

Next to your high-octane sunscreen, consider packing a good body powder like Gold Bond or Arm & Hammer, especially if you've got thicker thighs. In the higher Texas temperatures, sweaty body parts plus friction can lead to chafing so severe it can turn something like a simple walk through a park into a marathon of misery. Body powders help provide an extra little buffer against said chafing or any related heat rash issues.

Stanley cups, Yetis, Hydro Flasks — carrying a bottle of water around has become so commonplace that it's almost considered a must-have accessory right along with purses, wallets, and sunglasses. But even if you're typically pretty good about tossing a bottle in your bag, it still bears repeating that it pays to stay hydrated since this is a basic safety requirement in the oppressive Dallas heat.

As the mercury creeps its way up to the top of Dallas thermometers, your body loses fluids at a rate you may not even realize, and it's easy to get dehydrated quickly in the summer heat. Even something as simple as driving around in your car while you wait for the AC to kick in can leave your body soaked in sweat — and all of that sweat adds up to a lot of fluids. Folks engaging in serious physical activity in the summer heat can lose more than 1.5 liters of fluid per hour. By helping to prevent dehydration, good hydration helps to regulate our body temperatures, ensuring we feel cooler overall.

Exactly how much water should you drink? One Dallas Reddit user advised drinking water until you're going to the bathroom every couple of hours. "If you're sweating a lot then add some electrolyte mix too." Or you can always whip up a batch of "Poor Man's Gatorade" by adding just a dash of salt and a little bit of sugar to your ice water.

When the summer sun is blazing in Dallas, the last thing you want to do is just open up our car and hop inside without cooling it off. It's not just miserable — you can literally burn yourself on the seatbelt latch or steering wheel. The backs of thighs in shorts are particularly vulnerable, especially if you've got a leather interior.

If you're fortunate enough to have remote start, you'll want to use it. One DFW-area Reddit user reported, "I will never buy another car/daily driver without remote start. ... Let it run for 3-4 minutes and it's nice and cool." But if your ride doesn't feature a remote start, you'll still want to let your vehicle cool off before climbing into the seat. Steel up your courage to quickly lean in and start the ignition, then wait outside — trust me, the summer sun is far better than the dutch oven inside your vehicle. As you wait for the AC to kick in, locals recommend rolling the windows down to circulate the hot air out of your ride and back into the blazing purgatory from whence it came. "Run it for a minute or two like this and ... roll the windows up and set it to recirculate," advised one local Redditor.

Dallas folks also understand the importance of always keeping a window cracked when you're parked during the summer months. "Crack all of your windows and leave cracked for 10-15 minutes after you start driving to vent the hot air out," advised one local on r/Dallas. "If you have a sunroof, crack it open but close shade 99% of the way."

Shade can be a rare commodity under the summer Dallas sun, but you should make it your new mission to look for — and acquire a spot under it — every chance you get. While it's not much fun to make a long trek to the edge of a parking lot for the handful of shade tree spots available, it can be completely worth the effort if you don't have any mobility limitations. After all, it's better to walk a few hundred extra feet than to suffer the misery of burned thighs.

If you're going to be parked somewhere for a while, plan ahead for the direction the sun will be next time you'll be driving. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so remember to plan accordingly. One Dallas-area Reddit user reported, "I try hard to pick the spot that will be shady when I come out, not necessarily the spot that is shady right now." Even better, head for the parking garage if one is available. Downtown DFW has plenty of them.

Since you can't always find shade, you'll also want the power to make your own. The best option is driving a car with dark window tint and sun shades. These windshield shades are fairly cheap. You can invest in the higher-end kind, but the lower-tiered version can be picked up for just a few bucks at your local discount store. "I hate the summers here too but the sun shades help A LOT and lord yes. Get your windows tinted ASAP," advised one r/Dallas Redditor.

During the hottest triple-digit spells, many DFW locals will do their level best to rework their lives to avoid the midday heat. Locals in this part of the country will wake up at 7 in the morning just to mow their lawns since the temperature outdoors tends to be dramatically cooler during the early morning hours and start to really kick up around 11 a.m. The sun tends to really cook after lunchtime, especially the hours between early afternoon and dusk. After the sun sets, things tend to get less miserable, but it can take a while for the temperature to really come down. And since the sun goes down very late this time of year in this part of the U.S., you'll want to plan accordingly.

Whether you want to check out a local park, go for a jog, or you need to run a handful of errands, try to get up early and beat the heat. "Early mornings will be best for exercise to beat the heat, until August when it's still 95 at 5am," shared one Redditor.

Find a way to stay indoors during those tough midday hours — it's also a great time to kick back in a pool or nap underneath a friendly ceiling fan. "Get used to waking up before the sun," advised one r/Dallas user. "Nap if I can after work, don't leave the house til 8pm if I can help it." Just remember to invest in a battery-powered headlamp so you can spot venomous eastern copperhead snakes before running afoul of them

Many serious heat-related illnesses are avoidable, especially if you understand the signs to cut them off at the pass before they become a more serious, ambulance-worthy crisis. Heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sun poisoning, and dehydration can all be very dangerous — and they tend to creep up on folks when they're busy having a good time. "Learn the difference between heat exhaustion (dizzy, super tired, nauseas) vs heat stroke (severely dizzy, confused, disoriented, elevated pulse)," advised one r/Dallas user. "Heat stroke is an immediate life threatening condition. Call 911 immediately." You should also understand the steps for rapidly cooling someone, they went on to advise — steps like loosening their clothing, bringing the patient into the shade, and applying cold packs or cold towels to the groin, armpits, head, and neck areas.

Heat exhaustion, which occurs when a patient's body begins to overheat, is a stop on the way to heat stroke, so it's important to treat sufferers right away. Signs may include a weak but rapid pulse, goosebumps on cool or clammy skin, headache, muscle cramps, fatigue, faintness, dizziness, nausea, or low blood pressure after standing. Heatstroke symptoms, on the other hand, can include an altered mental state, vomiting, a racing heart, rapid breathing, and a throbbing headache. The most crucial sign is a core body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius. Heatstroke can be a life-threatening condition and should be treated accordingly.

Sun poisoning can also be a serious condition. Signs may include joint pain, headache, dizziness, dehydration, fever, and chills. IV fluids or other medical treatments may be required, so contact a doctor immediately if sun poisoning is suspected.

I will never forget the hot summer day sometime in the early 2000s when I left a Dr. Pepper can inside my car for several hours in the midday heat. It must have been a wondrous sight when that can exploded, instantly transforming the interior of my Toyota Solara into a high fructose corn syrup Jackson Pollock painting. But it took watching all of the pages fall from a book after the glue degraded in the summer heat to truly learn the lesson so many Dallas folks know all too well: Don't trust anything left inside your vehicle when the hot Texas sun is bearing down in all of her glory.

On an 80-degree day, the heat inside your vehicle can exceed 123 degrees Fahrenheit after an hour. That's enough to liquify lipsticks and chocolates or even warp plastic water bottles. Firefighters have even warned the sun transforms water bottles into magnifying glasses that could potentially lead to a fire igniting.

"[L]eave as little stuff as possible in your car. The heat can explode soda cans, melt some plastics, it's generally not good for a lot of things," shared one r/Dallas Reddit user. That also goes for your sunglasses. If the heat doesn't warp or crack the lenses, they're bound to burn your face when you try to wear them. Just take everything inside with you, and there's nothing to worry about. 

There's a time and a place to worry about running the AC too much, and it isn't your summer vacation in central Texas. That's because, in the near-triple-digit heat, it's actually more efficient to run the AC on high all the time than to start fresh every time you turn it off and on. And, more importantly, you'll be miserable if you're always having to wait for the air conditioner to cool down your hotel room or vacation rental. Likewise, keep your rental's ceiling fans cranked up.

"Also keep your blinds drawn if the sun shines into them during the heat of the day," advised one Reddit. Most hotel rooms in Texas will come with blackout curtains, which can be highly effective for making the most of your AC's cooling abilities if you have the good sense to keep them closed. If your room has blinds, you'll want to keep those closed as well since every little bit helps. If your room doesn't come with blackout curtains and you'll be staying for an extended length of time, you might consider investing in a cheap blackout panel or two at your local discount store. And if you're in the DFW area, you'll most likely find a mega-sized discount store within Ubering distance of your hotel or rental. 

As someone who has spent many a Texas vacation camping, attending outdoor summer concerts, hitting the zoo, or sweating my way through Six Flags Greater Texas, I've got just about every cooling aid imaginable on deck anytime I hit the hot Dallas pavement. If the sun is feeling truly oppressive, I'll grab a parasol or opaque umbrella to bring my own shade along.

Those folding accordion fans — available at the Dollar Tree for just $1.25 — are surprisingly effective travel essentials that are just compact enough to fit in a purse or hip pack. Or if you want something that's marginally less analog, you can pick up a battery-powdered portable fan at most discount stores during the summer months. There are even variations on this theme that come with a built-in mister. "Cooling fan around the neck and a small hand held one help a lot," recommended one r/Dallas Reddit user.

Another Dallas local reported dipping their bandana in cold water before wrapping it around their neck. Following up on this theme, another user recommended investing in special cooling towels, available from most local sporting goods stores. "I soak a couple in a bowl of ice water and switch them out periodically." Regular towels, bandanas, t-shirts, and even hats can all be dipped in cold water to achieve a similar effect.

Just as layering is crucial during the autumn and winter months in Dallas, locals know that dressing effectively for the summer heat can be the key to surviving it without a nuclear meltdown. And that starts with the right materials — which means eschewing cotton in lieu of more breathable, moisture-wicking travel fabrics like tencel. "I work in an office and wear 'Tech chinos' and the Dri Fit material polos way more often," advised one r/Dallas local. Light and flowy fabrics can also be a good bet. Although cotton can sound like a good idea, it can be miserable if you're doing much sweating. "In my experience cotton just soaks up your sweat and holds it against your body. Makes me a walking wet bulb thermometer," warned one Reddit user on r/Dallas.

Avoid wearing dark colors in the summer sun, as these can be a magnet for heat. Shorts and t-shirts, and sandals are the gold standard for summer comfort — although it's common to go much skimpier in the privacy of your own space. Don't worry too much about dressing up for a night out. Folks tend to prioritize dressing for comfort over style this time of year, and neutral-colored golf shirts are fine for most dinners out.

"Keep sunglasses within arms reach where you can (Car, bag, side drawer etc.)," shared one Reddit user, adding that this "helps prevent too much eye strain." Wide-brimmed hats are also a good bet. Go light on the daytime makeup since it's going to melt off anyway. A simple tinted moisturizer and some waterproof mascara will get you pretty far in the summer heat. If you must go full face, set a liquid layer with powder and finish with a spray anti-perspirant to keep it from sliding off.