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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Late July's oppressive heat forecast isn't normal
As the clock ticks down the final days of July, thermometers will climb across much of the eastern half of the U.S., creating a dangerous and long-lasting heat wave that will put millions at risk of heat stroke and other illnesses. Those in the path of the heat wave should plan to take extra measures to stay cool through at least July 30. Keep things chill by staying in air-conditioned spaces, visit friends with pools, pile up the popsicles and lemonade and pull out the recipe for your favorite cold summer salad. 'This will be a long duration heat wave, with little to no overnight relief and high humidity levels, leading to an increased danger,' the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said on July 24. Daily highs in the upper-90s to near 100 degrees are forecast to combine with humidity to create conditions where the 'feels like' temperatures could exceed 110-115 degrees, according to a July 25 forecast by Jennifer Tate at the prediction center. A dome of high pressure sitting over the eastern part of the country will help trap the heat while abundant moisture in the air will make actual temperatures feel several degrees warmer. The unusual heat and humidity could linger for several days, keeping heat risk in the major to extreme categories through the end of the month across much of the eastern United States. The dangerous heat will be longest lasting across the Tennessee Valley/mid-South region and the Southeast into the Carolinas, said a Friday forecast by Jennifer Tate at the Weather Prediction Center. Morning lows in the 70s "will not provide much relief." Farther north, into the Midwest, Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic can expect hotter-than-normal temperatures into the 90s. Forecast maps from the weather service show the United States blanketed in warm shades of purple, red and orange, signifying intense heat. By July 30 or 31, a cold front is expected to help cool things in the Ohio valley region. Anyone who absolutely must be outside should take extra precautions to stay hydrated and keep their body safe, according to the American Red Cross. The heat isn't the only danger presented by the high pressure area dominating conditions. Interactions in the atmosphere around the perimeter of the heat dome are forecast to trigger thunderstorms and heavy rain. 'Not your grandmother's heat wave' It has always been hot during the summer. "We've always had heat waves," said Max Holmes, president and CEO of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. "But it's happening a lot more, with greater intensity, greater duration and greater frequency." "This is exactly what we expected to happen," Holmes said. "As the earth gets warmer, we see more extremes and it's the extremes that get us. They kill us. They make us sick." Heat may be the most obvious, but there are others, including drought and the extreme rainfall that caused the deadly flash flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, he said. These extremes can be seen in the current heat wave, with forecasts for record breaking temperatures under the high pressure area, and intense rainfall in storms around the perimeter of the heat dome. June 2025 was the seventh hottest June on record, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During the first two weeks of July 2025, temperatures across the country were an average of 1.5 degrees warmer than the most recent 30-year normal. Historical data from the weather service shows average temperatures in July have trended roughly 2.7 degrees warmer since 1950. If a human body temperature is normally 98.6 degrees and warmed 2.7 degrees, it would be the equivalent of having a fever of 101.3. In nature, such an increase has a similar effect, scientists explain. Average overnight temperatures across the country have climbed even higher than daytime high temperatures, the weather service data shows. That means the landscape, trees and buildings don't get a chance to cool down, so they can heat up even faster the next day. Why is it so hot? If you live in a city, the answer might surprise you. Extreme levels of heat stress have more than doubled over the past 40 years, according to NASA, and that trend is forecast to continue. An analysis by Climate Central, published July 21, concluded human-caused climate change made the recent excessive heat at least three times more likely for nearly half the population of the United States. 'This is not your grandmother's heat wave," said Kristina Dahl, Climate Central's vice president of science. "Yes, July is usually a hot month, but climate change is making this heat wave significantly hotter — and therefore more dangerous — than heat waves of the past.' How hot is too hot for people? Prolonged exposure to warmer temperatures can cause serious, life-threatening complications including dehydration, a rapid or irregular heart beat and exacerbation of existing medical conditions. Scientists in recent studies have indicated the warmest temperature that human bodies can withstand without losing their ability to regulate temperature is lower than commonly believed. They've come to rely on a measurement known as wet bulb temperature to determine the dangers. It uses a thermometer with a wet wick over its bulb and measures the effect of humidity on temperatures. Humidity can impair the body's essential cooling mechanism – sweat doesn't evaporate. Scientists previously thought the warmest temperature a human body could take before losing its ability to regulate its own temperature was roughly 95 degrees at 100% humidity or 115 degrees at 50% humidity. A 2022 study co-authored by scientists at Penn State concluded the actual maximum temperature humans could take for prolonged periods was even lower using a wet-bulb thermometer, about 87 degrees at 100% humidity, even for people who are young and healthy. Among those even more at risk, such as the elderly and young children, the maximum temperature is probably even lower, the study found. See how a heat dome will trap dangerous temperatures over the central and southern U.S. What can you do to protect yourself and others from extreme heat? In short, the Red Cross advises: Know who's most at risk – Look out for older adults, young children, pregnant women, those with disabilities or medications for a chronic health conditions, people who live alone and athletes. Stay hydrated – Drink water every 20 minutes, even if you aren't thirsty and avoid sugary drinks, caffeine and alcohol. Stay cool – Seek out an air-conditioned location if your home gets too hot, limit outdoor activity and dress in lightweight, loose-fitting clothes. If your air-conditioning goes off, it might be cooler outside in the shade than staying inside the house. Act fast – Take measures to cool a person down quickly if they develop signs of heat exhaustion or stroke, such as cramps, heavy sweating, clammy skin, dizziness, fainting or nausea and vomiting. Move them to a cooler place, remove extra clothing and cool them with a wet cloth or cool bath and have them sip water or a sports drink, but not "energy" drinks. Where can you get more information? Resources are available to learn more about the dangers of heat-related illnesses and how to help yourself and others stay safe, but not as many as there used to be. A heat risk tool maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track heat risk and heat illnesses was taken out of service this year and is no longer active. The website is still available, but no new information is being added. Trump administration officials have taken steps to curb what they refer to as climate alarmism, and have changed wording about climate change, no longer including it as an environmental topic on the home page of the Environmental Protection Agency, and stopped maintaining other websites, such as and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page to track heat risk and heat illnesses. A tool on the CDC page now shows an error message. Reporting by the administration's Department of Government Efficiency shows the termination of more than 350 grants that mentioned climate change, including dozens that mentioned heat specifically. NOAA's proposed budget for the coming year stated it would no longer support the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, the federal website on heat and heat-related illnesses that brings together information from NOAA and more than a dozen other departments and agencies. For now, the comprehensive guide launched during the Biden administration to try to reduce the rising rate of heat illnesses in the United States is still online. To Holmes, much of the information being obscured is factual, not political. "There are combinations of temperature and humidity the human body just can't tolerate," Holmes said. "Trying to hide the truth doesn't help people." "I see zero rationale for trying to bury that information. It's shameful that our government is doing so," he said. "It's not a partisan thing, it's a fact thing." Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment and other news. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This heat forecast for eastern US in late July isn't normal Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boats bring Philippine flood victims to safety as death toll rises
Rescuers in the northern Philippines used boats to pick up residents stranded by flooding Friday as Typhoon Co-May was downgraded to a tropical storm and the death toll from a week of monsoon rains edged higher. Schools remained closed and electricity was down in swathes of the archipelago nation's largest island as the national disaster agency reported 25 dead and eight missing since last Friday. But those numbers did not account for three construction workers buried in a landslide as they rested Thursday in Cavite province, south of the capital Manila, according to rescuers. A wall above their construction site collapsed onto the men below after days of rain softened the soil under it, said rescue team member Rosario Jose. "All the bodies were found in the mud," she said. A lone survivor was pulled from the rubble. In the west coast province of La Union, where Typhoon Co-May arrived in the early hours, a family of four was rescued Friday morning after being trapped on the second floor of their wooden home. "They couldn't leave their house because the flood was waist-deep and they have children," said a rescue official who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media. "Many had been calling us since early morning, but we were having challenges in responding because the rain and winds were so strong," they said, adding that a break in the downpour meant rescue operations were now in full stride. In Bulacan province, just north of Manila, AFP journalists saw entire villages half submerged in floodwaters. Lauro Sabino, 54, said he and his wife had evacuated their home in the morning after a frightening night of hard winds. "It was as if my roof was being blown off. It was creaking. The rain poured the entire night," he said, adding they would sleep at a local market until flooding subsided. "The same thing happens every time. There's no solution," agreed Mary Rose Navia, 25, a housewife whose husband was unable to go to work on Friday. "The floodwaters are just getting deeper." President Ferdinand Marcos on Thursday explicitly tied the recent flooding to climate change, saying his country had to accept this was the "new normal". "This is the way it's going to be as far as we know for... many decades to come, so let's just prepare," he said in a televised cabinet briefing. The storm, which was weakening as it made its way north by northeast, was expected to be gone from the Philippines by Saturday morning. pam-fb/cwl
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
At least 7 children killed as India school roof collapses after weeks of monsoon rains
New Delhi — At least seven children were killed and 20 others injured when a portion of a school's roof collapsed in western India's Rajasthan state on Friday morning, police said. The incident happened around 8:00 a.m. local time at the Government Primary School in Jhalawar district's Piplodi village, as students gathered for their morning assembly. Around 60 children and teachers were in the school when the roof of the single-story building collapsed, burying students under debris. Area residents rushed to the scene and managed to rescue dozens of students, and police and other government workers also joined the rescue efforts. All the injured students — between the ages of eight and 11 years — were being treated at a local hospital. Two were said to be in critical condition. Indian news outlets showed video of residents gathered at the site of the collapse, with some students' family members crying. Some reports said the school building was in a run-down condition and noted that persistent, heavy rainfall over the past few weeks may have been a factor behind the deadly collapse. It is monsoon season in India, and the storms have already brought misery to the eastern part of the country, with dozens of people killed by lighting strikes in recent weeks. Jhalawar district official Ajay Singh said the school building had not been flagged as unsafe after a recent survey, however. "A detailed investigation will be conducted and strict action taken against those responsible," Singh told media gathered in the town. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "tragic and deeply saddening." "My thoughts are with the affected students and their families in this difficult hour. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected," he said in a social media post. Rajasthan's state education minister, Madan Dilawar, said experts were examining the stability of other buildings on the school campus. Deadly building collapses are not uncommon during monsoon rains in India. Many buildings in India are weak due to insufficient enforcement of building safety codes, and that leaves them particularly vulnerable to the deluges.
