This week, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an expansion of a new experimental heat tool called HeatRisk ahead of the hot summer months. This tool offers information and guidance for those who are particularly vulnerable to heat and may need to take extra precautions for their health when the temperature rises. 

HeatRisk provides historical context for high temperature forecasts, identifying how unusual the heat will be for any given time of year across a spatial area with coverage across the contiguous U.S., according to NOAA. It also identifies temperatures that are expected to bring increased heat impacts over a 24-hour period, up to seven days in advance. The tool takes into consideration how unusual the heat is for the time of the year, the duration of the heat during both day and night, and whether or not temperatures pose an elevated risk of heat-related impacts based on data from the CDC. It is divided into a number and color-coded scale — ranging from zero to four and minor to extreme — that identifies the risk of heat-related impacts. HeatRisk also complements the heat index and wet-bulb globe temperature, two established NWS heat forecast products for heat stress.

“Climate change is causing more frequent and intense heat waves that are longer in duration, resulting in nearly 1,220 deaths each year in the U.S. alone,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Last year was the warmest year on record for the globe, and we just experienced the warmest winter on record. HeatRisk is arriving just in time to help everyone, including heat-sensitive populations, prepare and plan for the dangers of extreme heat.” Access the HeatRisk tool here or read a press release at NOAA.

For additional information on extreme heat, members are encouraged to view Heat.gov.