Listen:
This Earth day, the CDC and NOAA announced a new tool they hope will provide more information for people particularly vulnerable to heat.
Health and government officials spoke at a hospital in Washington DC to announce the tool. Don Graves is the Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
“Extreme heat kills more people in the US today than any other weather hazard – that includes hurricanes, floods, tornadoes.”
The tool highlights unusual heat patterns on a map. It divides heat to a number and color coded scale, ranging from minor to extreme that identifies heat risk.
Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, demoed the program.
“So you can follow the heat as it transposes across the country, you can follow areas where it’s getting maybe worse, getting better, you can see some of those trends as you scroll in there.”
The forecast tool was first made for California in 2013.
“People really liked it, and it was a simple way to be able to see this information, and as a result – the weather service was like, both of us, the CDC, was like – let’s expand this nationwide.”
Graves hopes people benefit from this tool.
“Heat risk will help people understand what forecast heat means to them and their families”
