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RALEIGH -- Calling July a hot month is an understatement, so far it's been down right steamy, forcing cyclist to walk, workers to break and student joggers to catch the bus to class.

"Haven't really been able to play golf or do anything like that so we've been staying out of the heat" said N.C. State senior Alex Edwards.

Over at the Raleigh, Wake 911 Center they're staying busy, dispatching a number of heat related calls.

"I received one this morning that was actually from a dry cleaners that one of their workers had got too hot, so it's inside and outside both that we're receiving calls about," said Wake 911 Center supervisor Jesse Creech.

In the whole month of June, the center had about 47 heat-related dispatches. But they had about half that number in the first week of July alone.

"With that many days in a row people having to get outside and do stuff they just will not stop and take a break,” Creech said.

Area hospitals say they're also seeing patients struggling to deal with the heat.

Over the last week or so, WakeMed has seen some 25 heat-related patients, UNC Hospitals around five, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center 16, and Rex Healthcare in Raleigh about a dozen.

But doctors said it could be worse.

"I think people have heard the message that they need to stay out of the heat. We haven't had a horrible rash of heat related illnesses, we've had a few," said Dr. David Messerly of the Rex emergency department.

But as we dip into cooler temperatures this week, experts are concerned many won't take as much precaution when the high temps returns.

"Obviously 90 is better than 100, it still isn't safe and people need to continue to do the same things they've been doing. Avoid the heat of the day, stay hydrated, avoid the heat of the day, those types of things," Dr. Messerly added.