NC Heat Health Data and Reports

Heat-Related Illness Surveillance Reports

We track heat-related illness from May 1 to Sept. 30 each year, using data from NC DETECT.

2025 NC Heat-Related Illness Report

The summer of 2025 was much hotter than usual in North Carolina. From May through September, there were 5,748 emergency department visits for heat-related illness. This is far higher than the average of the past five summers.

• Most people (55.6%) who went to the hospital had heat exhaustion, which can cause heavy sweating, weakness and dizziness. A smaller number (3.2%) had heat stroke, the most dangerous heat illness. Heat stroke cases increased compared to past years.
• Adults ages 25-44 and 65 and older had the highest rates of illness, especially men. People who identified as Black had the highest rates among racial groups. Nearly 1 in 5 cases were linked to workplace heat exposure. This can occur both outdoors (like for farm, construction and landscaping workers) and indoors (such as in kitchens and manufacturing). The true number is likely higher because job information is not regularly collected in emergency department records.
• Some regions were hit harder by heat-related illnesses than others. The Northeast, Foothills, Southeast and Sandhills areas had some of the highest average weekly rates. Many counties saw more than 2.5 heat-related emergency visits per 100,000 people each week.

The report shows that extreme heat is becoming a bigger health risk. Staying cool, drinking water, taking breaks and checking on others can help prevent heat-related illness.

Read the full report: 2025 NC Heat-Related Illness Report

More Reports

• Heat Community Readiness Report (PDF)
• Heat Implementation and Monitoring Strategy Executive Summary (PDF)
• Heat Implementation and Monitoring Strategy (PDF)