Weather Story

City of Dallas activates emergency plan for 100-plus degree heat wave

Oh sure, it's pretty. Pretty HOT.

Photo courtesy of KXT

It's not fair, but for some ungodly reason, North Texas is staring down a forecast that calls for nearly 10 consecutive days of temperatures over 100. In 2017, Dallas didn't see its first heat wave until mid-July.

People, it's still May.

In response, the city of Dallas' Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has activated an Extended Heat Plan for a Level 2 Heat Alert for Thursday through Saturday.

A Level 2 Heat Alert means that daytime temperatures are expected to be at or above 100 degrees with night-time temperatures being above 80 degrees.

According to a release, as a result, the city is making the following resources available for all residents and guests:

The Martin Luther King Community Center and West Dallas Multipurpose Center will operate on their normal schedule Thursday and Friday and will have water available; the MLK Center will be open Saturday as well.

The Reverchon Park Recreation Center will operate on its normal schedule on Saturday and will have water available for distribution to residents.

The Salvation Army has donated water to be distributed to the above centers.

All other city facilities will operate on normal schedules. Anyone seeking relief from the heat can visit any facility that's open.

Additional cooling centers operated by the Salvation Army will remain open during their regular operating hours.

The city also recommends taking other appropriate precautions this weekend. Some are more nettlesome than others. Their list includes:

Stay out of the blazing heat between 10 am and 5 pm.
Drink a lot of water and low-sugar juices.
Keep shades drawn shut.
Turn on the air conditioner.
Keep lights turned low/off.
Avoid alcoholic beverages.
Avoid coffee and cola.
Avoid heavy meals.
Avoid high physical activity.
Avoid tight fitting clothing.
Avoid using fans without air conditioning running.

Avoiding physical activity, staying out of the heat, okay. But avoiding alcohol and coffee, what are they trying to do here? How else do we get through this. (The thinking behind this recommendation is that both beverages are diuretics and can therefore have a dehydrating effect. But fortunately some experts in Canada say it's not that big a deal. Canada sounds good right about now.)

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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