First came just the temperature. Then, the Heat Index. Now, the National Weather Service (NWS) has a new tool at its disposal when it comes to judging just “how hot it is,” especially as it affects the human body.
And it comes just in time for the hottest weather of the year in our area with temperatures expected to climb into the mid-80s in the next few days.
NWS PEACHTREE CITY FACEBOOK POST:
“Summer heat is rapidly approaching in the South, and to help you prepare we are excited to announce a new nation wide tool for diagnosing heatwaves.
The tool is a collaboration between NWS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to NWS.”
It’s called HeatRisk and the NWS website says it takes these elements into consideration:
- How unusual the heat is for the time of the year
- The duration of the heat including both daytime and nighttime temperatures
- If those temperatures pose an elevated risk of heat-related impacts based on data from the CDC
This index is supplementary to official NWS heat products and is meant to provide risk guidance for those decision makers and heat-sensitive populations who need to take actions at levels that may be below current NWS heat product levels.
You can find out more about it here: NWS HeatRisk (noaa.gov)“