US Heat Advisory: Texas, Mississippi, Other Southern States at Risk from Hot Temperatures and High Humidity, NWS Warns

The summer season of 2024 in the United States has so far recorded a series of extreme heat events, above-average temperatures, and high humidity.

Since the start of June, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued multiple excessive heat warnings and heat alerts over the risk of heat-related illnesses. These weather hazards threaten vulnerable human populations, pets, and even wild animals.

Over the past several weeks, the weather service has warned about the dangers posed by high heat index, which pertains to the combination of air temperatures and relative humidity.

In its latest weather alert, the NWS on Wednesday, June 26, issued a general US heat advisory for multiple states across the southern and southeastern US, including Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

Heat-related illnesses are the greatest risks during summer since extreme heat can impact the body. In recent years, health experts have reported that these heat symptoms, including heat stress, are responsible for the deaths of hundreds to thousands of people. In North America and Europe, the regions saw significant human fatalities during the summer months between June and August in 2021 and 2022.

US Summer Season 2024

The US summer season 2024 officially started last Thursday, June 20, and this period is expected to cause hot weather, record-breaking temperatures, and even heat wave events. Since the onset of the current month, US meteorologists have recorded early-season heatwaves in different parts of the country, where some temperatures have reached more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted chances for above-average temperatures in June, particularly across the western and central parts of the nation. In its US climate outlook, the NOAA expected drier-than-average conditions in the northern Rockies and northern Great Plains.

NWS US Heat Advisory

Initial US summer forecasts have been confirmed as of late June 2024, indicating that above-normal warm weather is still in store for different parts of the country. On Wednesday early morning, the NWS issued its US heat advisory, including but not limited to the following areas:

• Southeast Texas
• South central-southwest Arkansas
• North central-northwest Louisiana
• Southeast Oklahoma
• Central Mississippi
• Central North Carolina
• Southeast South Carolina
• Southeast Georgia

The NWS warned that heat index values for some of these areas could exceed 100, meaning there is a risk for heat-related illnesses caused by hot temperatures and high humidity. The US Government weather agency advises the public to take extra precautionary measures when outside.

This is not the first time the weather agency issued a heat advisory for the region. In May 2024, the NWS also gave a similar weather alert for Texas and Louisiana over the risk of heat illness. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common symptoms caused by high heat and humidity are:

• Heat stroke
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat rash
• Heat cramps