Tackling the Texas Heat: Your Summer Survival Guide

Texans know summer isn’t all sunshine and leisure — it’s survival. From cooling tips to mindset shifts, here’s how to beat the heat and stay sane through another sweltering season.

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Many people look forward to summertime with the joyful anticipation of a schoolchild, imagining long days of revelry outdoors in the sun. Those people are probably not Texans. When the state starts preheating in May, we know it’s time to prepare for the harsh temperatures ahead. We arm ourselves with water bottles and brimmed hats. We tune up our ACs, check our vehicles’ fluids, and adapt our daily schedules to avoid the worst of the heat. But if you’re feeling a bit of summer onset anxiety this year (and who isn’t?), discover where to cool off, what to love about the heat, and most importantly: How to muster the mental fortitude to survive another summer in Texas. 

52 Reasons to Love the Texas Heat

  1. No risk whatsoever of hypothermia or frostbite.
  2. You can order a piña colada at the bar without feeling quite so ridiculous.
  3. Chances are extremely slim that a knifeman is hiding in the backseat of your car and waiting to ambush you.
  4. You might get to discover if spontaneous combustion is real.
  5. Opportunity to practice self-control when out-of-state friends complain about the heat — and it’s 80 degrees where they live.
  6. Watermelon season!
  7. Just think of all that vitamin D you’re soaking up. More sunlight = lower risk of cancer, stronger bones, and more energy … and you’ll definitely need that last one to walk to your mailbox if it’s later than 7 a.m.
  8. Wherever you travel on summer vacation, you can expect better weather than here at home.
  9. Great excuse to eat ice cream and popsicles for six months straight.
  10. Numerous jobs created in the AC unit repair and maintenance industry.
  11. No need to mow your lawn quite so often — your grass is barely alive as it is!
  12. Easier to eat healthy because it’s far too hot for heavy, creamy, fatty dishes. Pass the salad and balsamic, please.
  13. You don’t have to wonder what it would be like to put your head inside an oven.
  14. You get to wake up to a shining sun and clear blue skies pretty much every day.
  15. Summer clothing is often less expensive than winter clothing.
  16. Plenty of detoxing with all that sweating going on, which removes heavy metals, pesticides, and other impurities — no fancy sauna needed (just don’t forget those electrolytes).
  17. No spring or fall allergies.
  18. Summer heat is the opposite of winter ice storms, snow, and sleet. Remember Snowpocalypse 2021? That’s just an average winter day for Canadians.
  19. Household gas bills go down (never mind the water and electric bills).
  20. Getting small children dressed, shoed, and out the door is much quicker in summer than winter — and you don’t have to worry about lost hats or mittens.
  21. No doctor ever said, “You need to go to a cold climate for your health.”
  22. Beach towels hung outside dry in a flash.
  23. Skimpy clothing = eye candy for singles on the hunt. Suns out, guns out!
  24. Feeling socially awkward because you’re sweating profusely? Don’t worry, EVERYONE is sweating!
  1. For some people with arthritis or chronic pain, heat alleviates their suffering.
  2. No one looks good in a winter hat.
  3. Less barking from dogs interrupting your workday because there is literally no one out on the street to bark at.
  4. Exercising outdoors burns way more calories in the summer vs. winter.
  5. River tubing, lake swimming, and poolside margaritas.
  6. No bulky winter layers to restrict your movement (though you might want to toss a sweater in your car for those icy-cold restaurants).
  7. It’s the only time of year you can easily find delicious peaches and plums.
  8. Summertime’s higher humidity helps your skin stay moisturized, saving you money on lotion and lip balm.
  9. The smell of magnolia blooms in the air.
  10. You’re among the 30% of the world’s population with air conditioning.
  11. Discovering that some foods taste better when melted, like chocolate and marshmallows. Sure hope that comes off your car’s upholstery.
  12. Less sneezing, coughing, and colds.
  13. Deciding what to wear is simpler when you don’t have to fuss with jackets or multiple layers. Bonus: Your summer wardrobe is probably bigger than your winter wardrobe since summer lasts 285 times as long (or at least seems like it).
  14. You get to say words like “muggy.”
  15. Summertime in Texas is fantastic inspiration to travel far away and explore a new destination.
  16. No need to shell out for pricey sun-dried tomatoes; just leave a few fresh ones on your car’s dashboard and roll the windows up.
  17. Extra daylight hours — and you’ll need them since you’ll be waking up at 5 a.m. to do practically anything outside.
  18. You can practice your Darth Vader voice to perfection during multiple hours spent sitting in front of a fan.
  19. Sleeping in the nude.
  20. There’s no uncertainty regarding the weather forecast, so you always know what to expect.
  21. “It’s too hot” is an entirely reasonable excuse to avoid any event you don’t want to attend.
  22. More cicadas = more food for the birds.
  23. You can revel in the feeling of sunshine on your skin, which some people liken to a “hug” from the sun. Others liken it to a sunburn waiting to happen (I’m looking at you, redheads).
  24. Seeing your dog basking in the sunshine.
  25. No chance of seasonal affective disorder depression from a lack of sunlight.
  26. You can wear shorts, skorts, and jorts.
  27. The first fall day that drops below 80 degrees in the fall is PURE HEAVEN.
  28. Because it feels like home.

SIZZLIN’ SIDE NOTE:

All degrees in this article are in Fahrenheit, the temperature scale used by six countries: Liberia, Palau, Micronesia, the Cayman Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the United States. Outside these countries, you can quickly convert Celsius to Fahrenheit by doubling the temperature and adding 30.

Where to Cool Off in Fort Worth

COLD:

Texas swimming pools may feel like hot tubs in high summer, but the waters of spring-fed Burger’s Lake stay cool and refreshing all season long. Splash in at the sandy beaches or try the slides, diving boards, and trapeze swing. Lifeguards are on duty and the lake water is filtered and chlorinated.

Craft breweries tend to have their ACs pumping or at the very least — you can chill out with ice-cold beer. Hit up local favorites like Wild Acre Brewing, HopFusion Ale Works, and Martin House Brewery to relax for a few with a brew.

Can you outrun the heat? You can try at Joe Pool Lake on a rented speed boat or jet ski. You can also swim, snorkel, and scuba dive at designated locations, like the white sand beach at Lynn Creek Park.

COLDER:

Linger in supermarkets’ refrigerated sections while you slowly peruse the dairy cases and meat departments. H-E-B in Burleson is particularly chilly, and Central Market has been replacing its entire refrigerated section — so maybe it’s time for a closer look at all those cashew milks and vegan cheeses.

Movie theaters are notoriously frosty places where you can enjoy arctic-blast AC for at least a couple of hours. Some of the newest cinemas around include the AMC Clearfork, EVO Entertainment in Southlake, and Studio Movie Grill off the Chisholm Trail Parkway in southwest Fort Worth. All offer in-theater dining so you can order a steady stream of frozen drinks.

It’s not quite in Fort Worth, but Epic Waters indoor waterpark in Grand Prairie is worth the half-hour drive if your kids are bouncing off the walls from summer cabin fever. The 80,000-square-foot fun park has 11 slides and the longest lazy river in Texas, along with an outdoor wave pool and a FlowRider surfing simulator.

COLDEST:

With water temperatures around 50°, cold plunge pools at wellness centers like Restore + Revive and R&R Aesthetics + Wellness won’t just cool you off, they may help reduce inflammation and improve circulation. Alternatively, you can dump a bunch of ice cubes in your bathtub.

Blast-freeze your body with a three-minute session in the cryotherapy chamber at iCryo on West Seventh, which drops as low as minus 175° — and you can also add windchill. Recommended only for the hardiest souls, this treatment triggers your fight or flight response that proponents claim decreases pain and inflammation.

SIZZLIN’ SIDE NOTE: 

If you’re ever in Buffalo, New York, stop by Forest Lawn Cemetery and pay your respects at the grave of Willis Carrier, who invented modern air conditioning in 1902 to help a printing company stabilize its paper quality during the humid summer months.

How to Beat the Texas Heat (or at least slap it around a bit)

Cool your body:

Stay hydrated, which helps your body regulate its temperature.

Be aware that some foods increase your body temperature more than others, like fatty, fried, and high-protein foods — and anything else that requires extra energy to digest. Spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol can also make you feel hot.

Shave your head or go for that new short do that you’ve been pondering.

Ladies can try a bodice chiller, a small metal cylinder that you fill with ice water and tuck into your top.

Dip your head into a bucket of ice water or hold it under a cold faucet.

Cooling vests and neck wraps can help when you have no choice but to be outside.

Move to Siberia.

Cool your home:

Close all your window blinds until October.

Buy a toaster oven so you don’t have to heat up your kitchen oven as often.

Consider tinting your home’s windows, at least on the southern and western sides, or replacing old windows with energy-efficient new models.

Plant trees and/or bushy landscaping to help shade your house. Exterior shades and awnings can also do the trick.

Ensure your ceiling fans are spinning counterclockwise to create the optimal downdraft. In winter, you can switch your fans to clockwise to push warm air down from the ceiling.

If you always sleep hot, a water-cooled mattress cover can help. Cooling pillows and sheets are also available.

Cool your vehicle:

Tint your windows. In Texas, your car’s back and rear windows can go as dark as you want; your front side windows must allow 25% of the light to pass through.

Invest in a remote starter so you can crank up the AC and cool your vehicle before you get inside.

Whenever you’re parking for longer than 10 minutes, cover your windshield with a reflective sunshade and fill your car with 50 bags of ice.

When you first get inside your car, open the windows and turn your AC to fresh air to blow out all the heat. Once it starts to cool off, roll ‘em up and switch back to recirculated air. Many cars chill down faster with the AC directed at your feet.

Get your AC tuned up to ensure that it’s working at max capacity.

Cover your seat with a cooling seat cushion.

Leave the windows open when you go through the carwash.

SIZZLIN’ SIDE NOTE: 

When it’s 110° outside, the interior of your car can reach almost 170° — hot enough to bake cookies and warp the plastic parts of GPS devices, phone chargers, and eyeglasses. Coke cans, aerosols, and disposable lighters can explode — and we won’t even talk about the liquified lipsticks and sunblock. Remember, never leave a child or pet inside a hot car … or anything else you remotely care about.

It’s Hotter Than... 

Texans have always been known for their colorful sayings. Do you recognize any below — and can you add any to the list?

SIZZLIN’ SIDE NOTE: 

The hottest summer ever recorded in Fort Worth was in 1980, which saw the highest temperature (113°) and the longest stretch of triple-digit days (42). For the heat index, 1980 also held the record at 117° — until we tied that temperature on June 22, 2023.

At Least You’re Not Here: The Hottest Places on Earth

Death Valley, California. Summer temperatures regularly hit 113° in this arid desert, which reached 134° in 1931 at the aptly named Furnace Creek Ranch. It’s officially the hottest place on the planet.

Lut Desert, Iran. Strong winds sweep across this 7,000-square-mile salt desert, home to some of the globe’s tallest sand dunes — and the hottest surface temperature: 177.4°, as measured by NASA satellites. Not a place for a barefoot stroll in the sand.

Sonoran Desert, Mexico-U.S. Border. Tied with Lut Desert at 177.4° for the hottest surface on earth, this 100,000-square-mile spread of sand and sun covers parts of southern California, Arizona, the Baja Peninsula and the Mexican state of Sonora. It’s known for tall, columnar cactus species like saguaro and Mexican fence post.

Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan. Burning since 1971 and showing no signs of stopping, this collapsed cavern contains hundreds of natural gas fires. Locals call it the Door to Hell. It’s one of the top tourist attractions in Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country with a North Korea-meets-Las Vegas reputation.

Patna, India. It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity — and Patna is the one of the most humid cities on earth. Over two million people swelter in 99.2% humidity, with daily highs hovering around 94° in the summer. Hardly anyone has air conditioning.

The Earth’s Core. Maxing out around 11,000°, our planet’s iron-and-nickel core is a breezy spring day compared to the center of the sun — which blazes at 27,000,000°.

Houston.

SIZZLIN’ SIDE NOTE: 

The phrase “dog days” of summer isn’t inspired by your panting pup’s flopped-åout tongue during the season’s warmest days. It originated with the ancient Greeks and refers to the days (July 3 through Aug. 11) when the star Sirius (aka the Dog Star) rises alongside the sun. Part of the dog-shaped constellation Canis Major, this extra-bright star was believed to amplify the sunshine and heat.

Sonnet 108°: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day… in Texas?

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…in Texas?

THOU HEAT-BLASTED, FOUL-BREATHING BEAST FROM THE BLISTERING FIRES OF HELL!

Rough winds do rip and ruin our roofs in spring,

But naught compares to summer’s torrid spell.

For oft so hot the eye of heaven shines

That sidewalks scorch, the dogs their walks decline.

Playgrounds ne’er could be much hotter,

Small hands dost burn on teeter-totters.

An evening stroll is’t no delight,

It’s still 95 at night!

A swim? Nay, nay — the pool’s ablaze,

Inside is where I’ll spend my days:

The blinds shut tight, my fan on high.

Please tell me…is November nigh?

But our eternal summer shall not fade,

For months to come, we’ll bake tho’ in the shade.

So long as Texans sweat and drink iced tea,

So long lives heat. Praise God for the AC!