The US National Weather Service is expecting a “significant, dangerous” heat wave across the Central and Eastern US from June 29 through July 3, right before Fourth of July weekend. This isn’t something to ignore, as extreme heat can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses that could lead to medical complications and even death without emergency treatment.

In fact, heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the US, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

So you can prepare yourself ahead of the heat wave, and during the entire summer, the National Weather Service has developed its NWS HeatRisk online tool to provide guidance on impactful heat across a seven-day forecast. Those who work in the heat or are sensitive to it, such as older adults, children and people on certain medications, should especially take heed.

How to find your heat risk

Under the seven-day forecast on the NWS HeatRisk tool’s main page, there’s a search bar where you can enter your address, ZIP code or city. Once you select your location, the map will zoom into it.

There will also be a pop-up showing the color-coded daily potential heat risk, the NWS weather forecast and the low and high temperatures for each day.

When you click on “Understanding HeatRisk” above the map, you can see the recommended actions for each category. For instance, if you’re dealing with extreme heat, you should stay hydrated and in a cool place, strongly consider canceling any outdoor activities, use air conditioning or find access to it and check on your neighbors or anyone you know who is more susceptible to heat-related illness.

What the heat risk tool shows

The NWS HeatRisk tool shows an entire map of the US, along with a key of five colors that correspond to the category for the risk of heat-related impacts:

• Light green: Little to no risk
• Yellow: Minor risk, which primarily affects people extremely sensitive to heat and without cooling or hydration.
• Orange: Moderate risk, affecting those who are sensitive to heat, especially people without cooling or hydration, along with some health systems and industries.
• Red: Major risk, affecting anyone without cooling or hydration, as well as health systems and industries.
• Magenta, a dark purple: Extreme risk for rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with no overnight relief affecting anyone without cooling or hydration, as well as health systems, industries and infrastructure.

The key also shows the estimated population affected in each category.

You can select the forecast for today and up to six days in advance. At the top of the map, you can see when it was last updated.

The bottom line

Because of climate change, the risk of heat waves and extreme temperatures has increased, making it even more important to be prepared for these events that can harm our health. This handy NWS tool can help you understand your risk ahead of time, so you can prepare and ensure that you, your loved ones and neighbors have enough water and a cool place to be once temperatures rise.