Dangerous heat grips East as warm nights offer little relief

Warm overnight lows in the 70s and 80s were offering little relief across the Eastern U.S., and NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center warned that dangerous heat was building across the central and eastern United States. Numerous daily temperature records were possible, with Major to Extreme HeatRisk stretching from the Midwest into the East Coast and Extreme Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories already in effect through Friday in parts of the Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast.

When temperatures stay elevated after sunset, the body loses the chance to cool itself, and sleep becomes harder when hot bedrooms prevent heat from escaping overnight.

Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense, and heat can worsen cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney and mental-health outcomes. Hot weather is also linked to worse pregnancy and birth outcomes and to more emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Older adults, especially people over 65, are at higher risk, along with infants and children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, people with chronic health conditions, people without access to cooling and outdoor workers.

Many medicines can make people dehydrated or overheated more quickly during a prolonged heat episode. NOAA’s HeatRisk tool offers a seven-day outlook on a five-level scale. It is meant to supplement, not replace, National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories.