Residents of the Carolinas are familiar with hot summers, but in some areas excessive heat events bring a higher risk for heat-related illness—and even death. A new tool can help local communities get ahead of heat events so they can reduce risk for their residents.

Many outdoor workers get uncomfortably warm during the hot days of summer. As employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace, they need to know when uncomfortable becomes unhealthy.

Predictions for the summer of 2017 show most of the contiguous United States has elevated chances for warmer-than-average temperatures. The summer outlook map and other forecasts in this Web app can help outdoor workers and their supervisors understand heat hazards, keep workers safe and productive, and even save lives.

Schools are letting out, Memorial Day is nearly here, and for many Americans that means  the unofficial start of summer. And if it's summer, then it 's time to start paying attention to the risk of extreme heat. According to NOAA’s summer outlook, most of the United States is favored to have a hotter than average summer in 2017. Only in the Great Plains do forecasters think the chances for a cool or a normal summer are equal to the chances of a hot summer. Everywhere else—from Alaska to southern California, and from Maine to Texas—odds are tilted toward well above average warmth. The absolute highest chances for a much warmer than usual summer are in Hawaii. (see the large version of the map below for Hawaii and Alaska.

Climate models predict an increase in the frequency, severity, and length of heat waves in coming decades. Federal, state, and local agencies are working to provide more advanced warnings and services to help health care workers, social services providers, and the general public better prepare for and respond to extreme heat events.

An executive summary of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System workshop in July, 2016 outlines outcomes and recommendations for different aspects of heat health resilience in the El Paso-Juárez-Las Cruces Region.