This week's weather can be described in two words: too hot.

Too hot to jog on your lunch hour. Too hot to mow the lawn in the afternoon. Too hot to loll outdoors.

Wednesday's high temperature in Modesto was 98 degrees, according to the Modesto Irrigation District's downtown gauge. The National Weather Service reading at Modesto Airport was 101.

All around Modesto, the thermometer hit triple digits: Stockton, 103; Ceres, Manteca and Atwater, 102; Patterson, Merced and Sonora, 101; Turlock, 100.

Temperatures exceeding 100 are predicted today as well. The early season heat brought advice from doctors on how to head off heat-related illness: Exercise in the early morning, drink plenty of water, avoid the midday sun.

"With a little common sense, most heat-related problems can be avoided," said Dr. Ron Johanson, medical director of Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock.

Temperatures around 100 degrees are not extreme by Central Valley standards, but it's hot enough to think about heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Symptoms vary, but they can include headaches, fatigue, vomiting, clammy skin and confusion.

To avoid such problems, doctors recommend staying out of the sun during the hottest hours, usually between noon and 4 p.m.

That's not always easy. So, if people must work outside, they should drink five glasses of water each day, said Dr. Joseph Provenzano of Sutter Gould Medical Foundation's Dale Road clinic in Modesto.

Sports drinks also help, some doctors say, because the drinks replenish nutrients lost when people sweat.

"But no beer," Provenzano said. Alcohol promotes fluid loss.

Clothes can make a difference. Dr. Del Morris of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency recommends loose clothing that allows sweat to escape. Sweat is the body's way of cooling itself.

"If you're wearing too much clothing, you're basically turning your air conditioning off," Morris said.

If a person appears to be sick from the heat, doctors recommend moving him or her to a cool place and providing lots of water. Applying cold, wet cloths or wrapping a person in wet sheets also may help.

If the person's condition does not improve, or if he or she vomits and appears confused, call a doctor or go straight to an emergency room, Morris said.

Babies and elderly people are especially at risk for heat-related illness, as are people who take certain medications, and people who aren't used to much physical activity.

Parents should give children water often. People who don't usually exert themselves should take it easy.

Provenzano offered this advice: "Basically, everyone needs to avoid the heat. Period."

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.