When the summer heat in Houston hits like a wall of fire, we know it’s more than just a sweaty inconvenience—it can be a serious health hazard. Now, thanks to the Houston Health Department (HHD), Houstonians have a powerful new ally in the fight against heat-related illness: the Houston Summer Surveillance Dashboard.

Launched by HHD’s Data Science Program—the same visionary team behind the acclaimed Houston Wastewater Dashboard—this first-of-its-kind public tool is designed to track how extreme heat impacts public health and to help inform life-saving interventions.

 HHD logo and black letters trans logo
 

Why This Matters Now

“Extreme heat is becoming increasingly more common, and it is essential to formulate tools and strategies to keep our community safe,” said Dr. Loren Hopkins, Chief Environmental Science Officer at HHD.
And the numbers speak volumes: As of August 7, 2025, there have been 1,630 heat-related illness (HRI) emergency visits in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties since April 1.

The dashboard doesn’t just spit out numbers—it paints a full, interactive picture. Pulling emergency room visit data from HHD’s syndromic surveillance system and combining it with forecasted Heat Index data from the National Weather Service, the dashboard offers visualizations by time, location, and demographics.

Targeting Hotspots, Saving Lives

“This dashboard is one segment of the work that HHD is conducting to understand the increase in risk of various health outcomes that the Houston community may experience due to extreme heat,” explained Komal Sheth, Senior Staff Analyst. “The data displayed can highlight the populations most burdened by heat-related illnesses and identify hotspot areas or times of day when a cooling center may be most effective.”

Users can dive deep into the data, filtering by age group, race, or specific conditions like:

Heat Stroke

Heat Exhaustion

Acute Kidney Injury

Pregnancy-related complications (including pre-term birth)

Acute cardiac events and stroke

This isn’t just for academics and health officials—the general public can access it too, giving everyone from local nonprofits to neighborhood associations the insight needed to protect our most vulnerable residents.

Comparisons That Tell a Story

Want to see how 2025 stacks up against previous years? The dashboard makes it easy. On July 29, 2025, there were 42 HRI emergency visits—up from 31 in 2024 and 21 in 2023.
“It’s that kind of year-over-year perspective that can motivate both policy change and personal action,” said Kaavya Domakonda, another Senior Staff Analyst.

Alerts Are Coming

And this is just the beginning. “HHD is currently developing an alert system that, when complete, will issue warnings on high heat days with reminders to stay safe and cool,” added Dr. Hopkins.

The dashboard updates every Wednesday at 2:00 a.m., running from May through October—the heart of Houston’s heat season.

Access the Dashboard

The Houston Summer Surveillance Dashboard is free, public, and easy to navigate. Whether you’re a concerned resident, a healthcare provider, or a community leader, this tool gives you the data you need to take action.

Bottom line? The Houston Health Department isn’t just reacting to extreme heat—

they’re predicting, preparing, and empowering our community to protect itself.

Because in Houston, beating the heat isn’t just about comfort—it’s about survival.