It is going to be hot this week.

Really hot.

Again.

We all know just how hot it can get here in South Georgia but daytime temperatures feel like they’re in the triple digits. Early Wednesday afternoon, a heat index map at usair.net showed a temperature of 91 degrees up the road in Fitzgerald, but the heat index — the “feels like” temperature — was 102. The map didn’t include Tifton, but earlier forecasts expected its temperature and heat index to be in that same ballpark.

We encourage everyone to take some simple precautions against the heat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Atlanta, reports more than 700 heat-related deaths in the U.S. each year, many of them right here in the Deep South.

People 65 and older are at the highest risk for heat-related illnesses, as well as children younger than 2 and people with mental illness or chronic diseases, according to the CDC.

We encourage our readers to check in on the elderly and vulnerable during these heat waves.

Here are some specific recommendations from the CDC for those who are the most vulnerable when exposed to excessive heat for extended periods of time:

— Stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as you can. Air-conditioning is the number one way to protect yourself against heat-related illness and death. If your home is not air-conditioned, reduce your risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned and using air conditioning in vehicles. Contact your local health department to locate an air-conditioned shelter in your area.

— Do not rely on a fan as your main cooling device during an extreme heat event.

— Drink more water than usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.

— Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.

— Don’t use the stove or oven to cook — it will make you and your house hotter.

Of course, we also caution the healthy and younger, especially those who might work outdoors or athletes who may be working out or practicing in the heat. It will be best to limit your outdoor activity in the middle of the day and make sure you drink plenty of water and stop your activity at the first sign of any heat-related stresses.

It should go without saying but unfortunately every year it seems somewhere tragedy strikes when a child is left in a vehicle. Others lose pets because they are left in cars during the hot weather.

Whether the engine is running or turned off, never leave a child or pet in a vehicle alone.

It is going to get hot this week — really hot.

Remember to check on the elderly and vulnerable and pay close attention to all heat-related news and warnings.