FORECASTERS SEE SHORT RESPITE FROM SOUTHERN HEAT WAVE;
NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUES TO WARN RESIDENTS ABOUT "SILENT KILLER"
July 20, 2000 — Blistering temperatures that have baked the south for days, will dip to more normal levels by the weekend but return to dangerously high levels next week, according to forecasters at NOAA's National Weather Service.
A shift in wind patterns will push the hot air mass westward and bring some relief—though temporary—to residents of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia. These states could receive scattered rain showers, which will lower temperatures, but not improve precipitation deficits. Heat advisories likely will remain in effect in some parts of the southern United States, until temperatures moderate by the weekend.
Rick Smith, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Southern Region headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, said the relief from scorching temperatures in the south will be short-lived and cautioned residents to guard against being victims of "the silent killer" — heat waves.
From 1989 - 1998, heat-related deaths outpaced fatalities in other severe weather categories nationwide, according to National Weather Service statistics. Based on this 10-year average, hurricanes killed 14 people annually, tornadoes 57, lightning strikes 58 and floods 99. people respectively. Excessive heat, however, killed an average of 193 in the same time period. In 1999, there were 497 heat related deaths—more than five times the 92 deaths caused by tornados.
"Heat waves, caused by consecutive days of excessively high temperatures, are nothing new to residents of the south," Smith said. "But everyone must take precautions and heed the advice of public health officials to stay indoors as much as possible, drink plenty of water and keep cool."
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's National Weather Service's Southern Region — Links to Weather Forecast Offices in this region
NOAA's Heat Safety Tips
All About Heat Waves
What to Do When Heat Waves Strike
Are You Ready for a Heat Wave? — American Red Cross
NOAA's Drought Information Center
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center
NOAA's Excessive Heat Index
Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA's National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622.
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