Austin, Texas has reached record-breaking heat levels this summer with the temperatures reaching 105 degrees or more for 10 days in a row.
Many students are experiencing struggles that come along with these extreme heat levels. This type of heat can prevent students from doing normal daily tasks such as walking their dog or playing outside.
“I feel like I can’t spend as much time outside because it’s extremely hot,” Hadyn Espinoza ’26 said. “Even when you go out to swim the water is not even cold, its just warm.”
Heat waves like this can cause many students to become more tired and drained due to a lack of time spent outside.
“The heat wave has been making me feel sick. Because of this, I’ve been spending a lot more time inside,” Eilee Bloom ’26 said. “This heat is almost unbearable.”
With this extreme heat it’s hard to find a good time to participate in outdoor sports. During the day, it’s usually too hot to do outdoor physical activity due to fears of dehydration or heat stroke.
“I would say the biggest challenge of this heat [wave] is not being able to get my normal daily exercise in,” Abigail Anderson’26 said. “I normally would go on a 1-2 mile run every day but due to the heat [wave] this has become difficult. I started a gym membership to try and get the same exercise, but it’s not the same.”
Although there are many cons to this heat wave, there are also some positives to take into account.
“One nice thing about this heat wave is [that] the weather is always nice for a fun summer day at the pool,” Varsha Rao ’26 said. “I love going to the pool and to tan and hang out with my friends.”
The recent heat levels have been hard on students who can’t participate in their normal activities. Students have had to find creative ways to manage the heat.
“One thing I love doing after I come back from playing sand volleyball [is jumping] in a cold shower,” Simone Riha ’26 said. “It’s an easy way to cool me down quickly and efficiently.”
