With soaring temperatures, keeping your loved ones and yourself safe and cool should be your top priority.

Remember, this is NOT just about comfort. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be deadly.

Here are hot weather safety tips from Evergreen Healthcare:

1) Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or non-alcoholic beverages. Encourage your children and elderly friends and family members to drink often, even if they’re not thirsty.

One easy trick: Give everyone in the family two water bottles. Have one for sipping and one in the freezer. When the one in the freezer gets slushy, pull it out for sipping. Rotate your water bottles throughout the day and night. (Do not fill the bottles completely before putting them in the freezer.)

2) Limit outdoor time. Avoid being outdoors in the sunshine for long periods of time. This isn’t the time to work on your tan. Use a high SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen. Restrict any outdoor activities to mornings and evenings. Some medications increase sensitivity to heat and sun (check with your physician).

3) Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing.

4) Cover windows that face the morning or afternoon sun. If your home is hot, visit a mall, movie theater or other cool, public facility.

5) For instance, the Redmond Senior Center welcomes anyone, not just seniors, who need to cool down. The Peter Kirk Center and North Kirkland Community Center in Kirkland also have extended hours for the week.

6) Be neighborly. Check on your elderly neighbors or neighbors with mobility challenges.

7) Do not leave infants, children, elderly people or pets in a parked car. Even in the shade with the windows rolled down, the temperatures can rapidly rise to more than 100 degrees in a vehicle.

8) When to ask for help: Symptoms of heat exhaustion include headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and dizziness. Move the victim to a cooler spot, let them rest and encourage them to drink a cool beverage. Seek medical attention if they don’t feel better in 30 minutes.

Heat stroke symptoms include an extremely high body temperature; red, hot and dry skin; rapid and strong pulse; nausea, confusion and unconsciousness. Seek medical help immediately.

9) If you have any questions or concerns, call the Evergreen Healthline at (425) 899-3000. If this is a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.