The US Heat Risk Map

A new interactive map has been released to help warn Americans of extreme temperatures. The new HeatRisk map provides a weekly forecast of the lower 48 states showing where temperatures may be high enough to harm people's health.

On the HeatRisk map areas are colored to show the forecast risks of extreme heat, using a color ramp that proceeds from green (little or no risk) to magenta (rare and/or long-duration of extreme heat). If you click on the map you can also view the forecast high and low temperatures for each day of the next week at that location.

You can also access the HeatRisk map on the CDC website. The CDC map includes a search option to get a weekly HeatRisk forecast for your zip-code area. The CDC’s map also includes links to guidelines on preparing for extreme heat and how to stay safe in high temperatures. The CDC's Heat and Health Tracker is another useful resource. This tracker includes a map showing the current rate of emergency department (ED) visits associated with heat-related illness across the US.

If you are affected by extreme temperatures then you might also want to bookmark the US government's National Integrated Heat Health Information System. This agency also provides a map of current heat forecasts as well as an EMS HeatTracker Map (showing where Emergency Medical Services are currently seeing an increase in heat related emergencies).