HOUSTON — As the first days of meteorological summer descend on Southeast Texas, the Houston Health Department (HHD) and Harris County Public Health are bracing for what is shaping up to be another potentially lethal heat season. The numbers are stark: heat-related emergency room visits in Harris County have surged 329% between 2019 and 2023, according to a landmark study by Harris County Public Health. With the 2026 summer just beginning, there is no credible reason to believe that trajectory has reversed.
The HHD has activated its annual Summer Surveillance program, an interactive dashboard that tracks heat-related illness (HRI) across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties on a weekly basis. The dashboard is designed to identify vulnerable populations and trigger protective interventions — but as public health advocates have repeatedly warned, surveillance is only as valuable as the policy response it generates.
