Texas summer has finally settled in with temperatures expected to rise to highs in the triple-digits this week.

According to the National Weather Service located at Fort Worth, head index values will climb into the 100 to 104 degree range on Tuesday. The same forecast will extend throughout the next seven days.

How to Respond to Excessive Heat Events

•Slow down: reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, seniors and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.

•Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, loose lifting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.

•Eat light, cool, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit or salads.

•Drink plenty of water (not very cold), non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty. If you on a fluid restrictive diet or have a problem with fluid retention, consult a physician before increasing consumption of fluids.

•Use air conditioners or spend time in air-conditioned locations such as malls and libraries.

•Use portable electric fans to exhaust hot air from rooms or draw in cooler air.

•Do not direct the flow of portable electric fans toward yourself when room temperature is hotter than 90°F. The dry blowing air will dehydrate you faster, endangering your health.

•Minimize direct exposure to the sun. Sunburn reduces your body’s ability to dissipate heat.

•Take a cool bath or shower.

•Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.

•Check on older, sick, or frail people who may need help responding to the heat. Each year, dozens of children and untold numbers of pets left in parked vehicles die from hyperthermia. Keep your children, disabled adults, and pets safe during tumultuous heat waves.

•Check your outside pets and make sure they have plenty of water and shade.

•For more heat health tips, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Weather Service.