Extreme heat grips the South as heat index hits 110

Heat index values are forecast to reach 110 in some locations, including areas covered by the National Weather Service's Jackson, Mississippi office. Heat and humidity will increase through late week into the weekend, bringing dangerous heat stress across much of the region.

The National Weather Service issues heat alerts when an extreme heat event is occurring, imminent or highly likely, and hot weather combined with high humidity can quickly trigger heat-related illness. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors.

No person is immune to heat, but older adults, children, outdoor workers and people without adequate cooling face higher risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links severe heat to emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths, and heat-related illness can include cardiovascular and respiratory complications, renal failure, electrolyte imbalance, kidney stones, negative impacts on fetal health and preterm birth.

Extreme heat events have long threatened public health in the United States, with cities including St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago and Cincinnati historically seeing dramatic increases in death rates during heat waves. National Weather Service guidance identifies extreme heat as the weather phenomenon that has killed more people on average over the last 10 years than any other.