More triple-digit heat indices will scorch the MS Coast this week. Here’s the forecast
The summer is heating up. Mississippi’s coastal counties are all under an excessive heat warning Monday, lasting to the night, according to the National Weather Service. An excessive heat watch has also been issued for Tuesday.
Many of Mississippi’s inland counties are under a heat advisory Monday.
The Coast’s heat indices are subject to reach as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. Indices are expected to reach 110 on Tuesday.
High temperatures in the low-to-mid 90s are expected for the rest of week. The week’s lows are expected to hover around 79 degrees. Rain will become increasingly likely during the mid-week.
Heat advisories were issued last week. This weekend was also witness to extreme heat warnings.
The National Weather Service predicts a 40% chance of rain and a high of 90 degrees on the Fourth of July. The heat index will hover around 100 degrees.
According to data from The New York Times and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast can expect heat indices in the triple digits for the next week.
Southern Mississippi’s heat risk levels are set as “danger” on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and “extreme caution” on Thursday and Friday, the data shows.
Risk level “danger” is for heat index readings of 103 degrees to 125 degrees and can accompanied by cramps, fatigue and a possibility of heat stroke. “Extreme caution” identifies heat indexes of 90 degrees to 102 degrees and similar but reduced risks of cramps, fatigue and the possibility of heat stroke as the “danger” level.
Last year’s summer broke records in terms of heat. The death certificates of 2,300 people around the country show they died of heat-related causes, an Associated Press analysis found.
Officials say the elderly and small children are particularly vulnerable. Staying hydrated and protecting the skin from UV rays is paramount. Officials say never to leave pets, children or the disabled in cars, as extreme heat can kill in as few as 10 minutes.
2023 was the hottest summer on record globally, NASA reports, since temperature records were first recorded in 1880. NASA data shows the average temperature of summers have been steadily increasing due to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
