Insider: How ‘just a few minutes’ can become lethal in a hot car

Your typical summer day is pretty hot. You know the drill, air temperatures mixed with higher humidity percentages is going to yield a pretty hefty heat index - and an uncomfortable day. 

One of the dangers that comes with heat is the deadly threat of rising car temperatures. It only takes a matter of minutes for your vehicle’s internal temperature to become lethal. 

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures can jump 20 degrees in a matter of 10 minutes. 

"Never leave a child or a pet in the car, even just a few minutes can be extremely dangerous in this kind of heat," CFD spokesperson Katherine Rodriguez said.

You’ve heard of the greenhouse effect, this is no different when it comes to vehicles. The heat from the sun will continue to warm the inside of the car, and that heat has nowhere to escape. Cracking the windows does little to improve those conditions as well. 

Heat is the silent danger that acts quickly in vehicles, posing the greatest risk to children and pets that might be left for longer periods of time. 

According to No Heat Stroke, on average nearly 37 children die in hot cars every year in the United States. From 1998-2024, Missouri ranked 12 out of the 50 states with 28 pediatric deaths.

Hyperthermia, or heat stroke, is what happens when the body temperature reaches above 105 degrees. According to NWS, this can happen in a matter of minutes for children, whose body temperatures warm at a rate of three to five times faster than adults. 

It doesn't even take an extremely hot day either, temperatures can still continue to climb in cars even with an outside air temperature of only 75 degrees.

Just like humans, pets can also experience heat stroke. The NWS encourages the slogan “beat the heat, check the backseat!”