Parked Treasure Valley Cars Reach Deadly Hot Temperatures Even on Cool Days

Do you know how long it takes your parked car to reach temperatures that could kill babies, children or pets? You'd be surprised how quickly the inside of that car heats up even on cool days like we've had most of the week.

Can we all agree that Mother Nature has NO IDEA what she's doing in the Treasure Valley this week? Wednesday morning, you crossed your fingers that the plants you forgot to bring inside survived the frost and 30º temperatures. Sunday? You and hubby will be fighting over whether or not to turn on the AC when temps hit 80º.

That sort of up and down weather is exactly why it feels a little strange to talk about the dangers of hot cars in early May, but the truth is just by running into the store for 10 minutes you're putting your kids and pets at risk by leaving them in your locked car while you run that errand.

Don't believe me? According to a chart put together by St. Luke's Children's Hospital and Boise Police Department, on a 70º day like we're expecting on Friday the inside of a locked car reaches 89º degrees within 10 minutes and 104º within 30 minutes. On an 80º day? The temperature reaches 99º within 10 minutes and 114º within 30.

While spreading the word through their "Look Before You Lock" campaign aimed at reducing the number of child hot car deaths, BPD says that you should NEVER leave a child in an unattended hot car, even with the windows down. A child's body is wired different than that of an adult and their core temperature can rise up to five times more quickly than their parents'. Having an elevated body temperature for even a short time can lead to long term damage to the brain and nervous system damage.

It's insane to think about how quickly these car interior temperatures soar, so keep this in mind while you're out and about this weekend and through even hotter months.