A new analysis by Climate Central reveals that over 5 million people across 65 major US cities live in urban heat islands, areas where built environments can amplify summer temperatures by at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This heightened heat risk poses significant health threats and exacerbates the impacts of climate change, particularly for the 145,000 residents experiencing the most extreme heat island effects.
The National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have launched a new heat risk system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors to provide a seven-day forecast of heat risk, color-coded for easy comprehension. The system introduces magenta as the deadliest of five heat threat categories, indicating extreme heat with little to no overnight relief. The heat risk categories range from pale green (little to no risk) to yellow (minor risk), orange (moderate risk), red (major risk), and magenta (deadliest risk). The system relies on science-based numerical thresholds to determine heat risk levels and considers local weather data, climatology, and health data. The CDC and Weather Service websites provide access to the heat risk tool, allowing users to enter their ZIP code for localized information. The system aims to simplify heat risk communication and enhance preparedness and planning to reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths as climate change intensifies heat waves.
The National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a new heat risk system that uses a seven-day forecast and a color-coded scale to alert Americans to dangerous heat conditions. The system includes five categories: pale green (little to no risk), yellow (minor risk), orange (moderate risk), red (major risk), and magenta (deadliest risk). The system is based on science-set numerical thresholds that take into account local weather data, climatology, and health data. Heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the United States, and the new system is designed to help reduce deaths by providing better warnings and planning tools.
The National Weather Service and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have introduced a new heat risk system that uses a five-color scale to warn Americans of dangerous heat conditions. The system combines meteorological and medical risk factors to determine the heat risk for a given location and provides a seven-day forecast. The worst category, magenta, indicates ‘rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief.’ The system is designed to help people understand the health risks associated with heat and to take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.
