Heat alert: 10 minutes could be deadly

The interior of your car can very quickly become much hotter than the outside temperature and that could prove dangerous or even deadly — especially for small children and pets.

Even on days when the temperature outside doesn’t seem that hot, the temperature inside a car can climb with deadly speed, experts warn.

So even on days when the temperature won’t hit record highs, it’s important to remember to never leave a child or pet alone in a car.

In the first 10 minutes after the car is parked and the door is locked, the temperature inside a car climbs 19 degrees above the outdoor temperature.

After an hour, on average, the temperature inside the car rises to about 43 degrees hotter than the temperature outside. The temperature inside the car generally peaks at about 45 to 50 degrees hotter than the temperature outdoors, San Francisco meteorologist Jan Null said.

A child’s body temperature rises 3-5 times faster than an adult’s and cracking the windows on the vehicle does little to decrease the rising temperature inside the car.

 

Just how hot does your car get inside on a 90-degree day?

Meteorologist Kirstie Zontini explains just how hot the interior of your can get — including the temperature of your seats and steering wheel. She also explains how a dark interior can get hot much faster.

 

How dangerous is it to leave a child in a hot car?

 

What about pets?

Veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward puts himself inside a car on a hot summer day for 30 minutes with the windows cracked. See what happens.

 

So what happens to an adult inside a hot car?

The Weather Channel meteorologist Julie Martin shows how long it takes for a car to heat up to deadly temperatures and works with an ER doctor to explain what you should do to cool down.