What is an overheat warning?
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Take good care of your air conditioner, everyone. In a summer of record temperatures, Florida is seeing even more brutal heat this week, with highs reaching the 90s and dangerously hot conditions with heat indexes reaching triple digits across the state, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
An excessive heat warning with heat index values up to 115 degrees is in effect across northern and southern Florida and southeastern Georgia from 10 a.m. EST Tuesday until 8 p.m.
An excessive heat watch was issued Wednesday across North Florida, with heat index values potentially reaching 113.
Central Florida is under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with heat index values expected to reach 112.
Make sure you take the necessary precautions. The danger caused by rising temperatures is getting worse. An average of 700 people died each year in the United States between 2004 and 2018 from heat-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 3,066 heat-related deaths occurred during 2018-2020. According to data from the National Citizenship Congress, heat-related deaths in Florida have increased by 88% in the past three years.
The NWS advises staying in air-conditioned spaces whenever possible. Stay hydrated, and wear sunscreen and protective clothing.
What is an overheat warning?
Nationally, the NWS issues an Excessive Heat Warning when Heat Index values, “what feels like” temperatures, are expected to be 105-110 degrees or higher for at least two consecutive days and overnight air temperatures will not fall below 75 degrees, Depending on the local climate.
Different areas of Florida have different criteria for issuing excessive heat warnings, such as a heat index forecast of 113 degrees or higher for at least two hours.
A heat index of 103 to 124 degrees can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and possible heat stroke with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity, the National Weather Service said. Heatstroke is most likely to occur when heat indexes exceed 125 degrees. If you don’t take precautions right away when conditions are harsh, you could become seriously ill or even die.
On June 1, the Miami-Dade NWS began using new heat advisory standards for that region that reduced the range of heat indexes required to more closely reflect the “significant heat-induced health impacts” that occur at lower heat index values. In that county only, excessive heat warnings are issued when the heat index reaches 110 degrees or higher for at least two hours. If evaluated as more accurate, the new standards will be rolled out to the rest of South Florida in 2024.
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What is the excessive heat hour?
The NWS issues an extreme heat watch when extreme heat is likely to occur within the next 24 to 72 hours. Excessive heat watches are used when the timing of a heat event has not yet been determined.
What is thermal counseling?
The NWS issues a heat warning within 12 hours of the onset of dangerous heat conditions when the heat index is expected to reach 100 degrees or higher for at least two consecutive days and overnight air temperatures will not fall below 75 degrees, depending on the local climate.
What watches and warnings have been issued in Florida?
What is the heat index?
Heat index – what is it and how is it calculated?
Heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related death in the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths each year and even more heat-related illnesses.
Little Jenny, Watchit
“It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” as people in Florida like to say. As for the heat index, it’s both.
While temperature tells you how hot it is, the heat index combines temperature and humidity levels to tell you the actual temperature outside. Weather apps and forecasters call it “real sense” or “feel” temperature, and it’s important to know.
When your body gets too hot, it cools itself by sweating, and your body temperature drops as the sweat evaporates. When relative humidity is high (this is the humidity in the atmosphere), your sweat does not evaporate as quickly (or at all) and you feel warmer. When humidity levels are low, sweat evaporates more quickly and the temperature may “feel like” cooler than a Fahrenheit number.
“For example, if the air temperature is 100 degrees and the relative humidity is 15%,” the National Weather Service explains on its website, “then the heat index is 96 degrees.”
Keep in mind that the heat index value is for suspicious sites. “If exposed to direct sunlight, the heat index value can increase by up to 15 degrees,” the National Weather Service said.
What is the difference between heat index and wet globe temperature?
The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is similar to the Heat Index in that it measures more than just temperature to give you a sense of what the weather is really like. But the WBGT measures temperature in the sun, not the shade, and includes wind, cloud cover and sun angle to help indicate heat stress for active populations such as outdoor workers and athletes.
You can see the WBGT forecast at weather.gov/rah/WBGT.
