The hottest stretch of Oklahoma's summer is closing out its second week, and the alert map tells the story: heat advisories cover much of the state through 7 p.m. tonight, after extreme heat warnings held over northern Oklahoma through Friday evening. Afternoon highs have been running 102 to 106 degrees, with heat index values near 110.
The season's ledger is edging toward historic. Oklahoma City has logged 18 triple-digit days so far in 2026, and forecasters say this August is tracking toward the top 15 hottest months in city records that reach back to 1890. Relief is not close, either: forecasters expect only a very few spots to see any rain over the next few days, with most of the state staying dry and hot.
A quick decoder for the alerts, since they end up governing everything from football practice schedules to road crew shifts: the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory when the heat index is expected to reach levels dangerous for this part of the country, and an extreme heat warning when conditions become dangerous enough that heat illness is likely for anyone outdoors without precautions. The Oklahoma Mesonet publishes a live statewide map showing which counties sit under which alert.
The cool rooms are open. In Tulsa, cooling stations include John 3:16 Mission at 506 N. Cheyenne, open around the clock; the Salvation Army at 102 N. Denver Ave. and the Tulsa Day Center at 415 W. Archer St., open daylight hours; Tulsa County Social Services at 2401 Charles Page Blvd., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center at 621 E. 4th St., noon to 9 p.m. daily. Anywhere in the state, dialing 2-1-1 connects you to locations and hours near you, and city pools and splash pads stretch the list further.
Clinicians at OU Health published seasonal guidance this month on reading the body's warning signs, and the line worth memorizing is the one between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea and muscle cramps mean get to shade, water and air conditioning now. Confusion, hot skin that has stopped sweating, or fainting means call 911 — heat stroke is a medical emergency, not something to sleep off. Check on older neighbors, never leave children or pets in a parked car, and push outdoor work to the early morning.
EMSA has said it is monitoring call volumes for a possible Medical Heat Alert, which it declares when heat-related ambulance runs climb; as of late last week one had not been issued. That alert is a lagging indicator — it means people are already getting hurt. The advisories are the leading one, and they run through this evening.
Sources: KFOR: heat wave continues · City of Tulsa: cooling stations open · OU Health: extreme heat safety · Mesonet: Oklahoma heat advisories