DAYTON — During extended stretches of hot weather, you may hear our Storm Center 7 team mention alerts like “Heat Advisory, Extreme Heat Watch, and Extreme Heat Warning” and wonder how those come to be.
The meteorologists at the National Weather Service are responsible for issuing these alerts.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington covers most of our viewing area, but as a reminder, the Indianapolis office covers Randolph County.
That comes into play when we discuss the criteria for each alert type used in the summer months below.
In most cases, the alerts come down to the forecast heat index, or feels like temperature, for our area.
In recent years, some alert names have been changed compared to what you may have heard before.
This was a part of the changes made to simplify alert names and unify them with names used in the winter months during extreme cold.
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If you see a Heat Advisory issued, there is a minimum “base” needed for such an advisory to be issued.
For most of our area, the minimum heat index temperature is 100 degrees and goes to 104 degrees (except Randolph County, where the minimum heat index criterion is 105 degrees).
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When it comes to an Extreme Heat Watch or Warning, we add 5 degrees to that “base” heat index needed.
This means for most of us, any heat index above 105 degrees would constitute a need for an Extreme Heat Watch or Warning instead of an advisory.
In Randolph County, that minimum “base” is 110 degrees for an Extreme Heat Watch or Warning.
Regardless of what alert is in effect for your area, be sure you are staying safe and hydrated to beat the heat.
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