Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Number of Extreme Heat Events

Select a County

Measurement Period: 2023

Filter: none (all Counties)

This indicators shows the number of extreme heat events per year.

Extreme heat events are a model-based estimate and defined by a minimum of two consecutive days in which the daily maximum temperature exceeded the 90th percentile threshold. Percentiles are calculated by creating an average county-level estimate of the daily maximum temperature, specific to that county and summer months across all available years of data (1979-present). This measure was only calculated for the months of May through September.

Why is this important?

Extreme heat events, or heat waves, are a leading cause of extreme weather-related deaths in the United States. The number of heat-related deaths is rising. Heat stress is a heat-related illness caused by one's body's inability to cool down properly. The body normally cools itself by sweating, but under some conditions, sweating is not enough and high body temperatures can damage the brain or other vital organs. When humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, which prevents the body from releasing heat quickly. Heat-related conditions range from heat rash and heat cramps to heat exhaustion and finally heat stroke, which can cause death or permanent disability if treatment is not provided. The following groups of people have higher risks of experiencing adverse health effects related to extreme heat event days: infants and children under five years of age, people 65 years of age and older, people who are overweight, and people who are ill or on certain medications.

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