Update 11:55 a.m.: The National Weather Service has upgraded its heat advisory to an extreme heat warning in coastal Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The warning will remain in effect through 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
Original story:
Dangerous heat is expected to hit the Florida Panhandle through Wednesday, with record or near-record temperatures expected.
The Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties is under an extreme heat warning until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, with temperatures feeling upward of 112 degrees, and Tuesday is forecast to get even hotter.
Feel-like temperatures crossed the triple-digit threshold around 10 a.m. on Monday. That heat will stick around through 8 p.m., when we’ll finally see temperatures start to drop.
Tuesday will cross that threshold even earlier and stick around a bit longer.
Parts of Escambia, Santa Rosa under ‘rare’ category 4 HeatRisk
All of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are at a level 3 (red) HeatRisk, which means anyone spending prolonged periods of time outside without ways to cool themselves or stay hydrated is at risk of heat-related illnesses.
Areas like Pace and Milton are under level 4 HeatRisk, which indicates rare heat that only happens a few times a year here in the South. This level means there will be extreme heat for long periods with no overnight relief.
The National Weather Service uses several tools to assess increased heat stress from extreme temperatures, which are used to issue heat watches, warnings and advisories.
HeatRisk is an experimental service that identifies unusual heat that could lead to increased heat-related impacts. It then attempts to categorize those risks into five levels.
Heat advisory vs. extreme heat watch: What’s the difference?
The NWS issues three levels of heat alerts: Heat advisory, extreme eat watch and extreme heat warning. Here is what each one means:
Heat-related illnesses to keep your eye on
Floridians are well acquainted with a sunburn, but other dangerous heat-related illnesses are more subtle to spot. Here’s what to be on the lookout for:
Pensacola severe weather warnings
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Extreme heat set to grip Florida Panhandle through Wednesday
Reporting by Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
