Millions at an extreme risk while the heat of the wet bulb stifles the United States this weekend

Summer can be finished, but the heat and oppressive humidity will suffocate a large part of the east of the United States this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, on Sunday, August 17, 38 million Americans are at risk of dealing with a “major” risk of thermal stress.

Forecasts call for the highest temperature anomalies to spread from central plains to midwest this weekend, with temperatures in the mid-1990s and fahrenheit stockings in the years (the mid-thirties of the 1930s Celsius), according to the NWS. The combination of this cooking heat and high humidity will produce dangerous temperatures with a damp bulb – pushing the body’s capacity to cool to its limit. As such, the agency issued heat reviews in certain parts of 15 States of Nebraska to Florida on Friday August 15. Some of these opinions will remain in place until Monday.

Forecastists predict an extreme risk of thermal stress on Sunday for most of the Northern Illinois. Locally extreme risk can also have an impact on parts of the center of Iowa and Missouri – as well as areas along the Illinois border with these two states – more from the northwest of Tennessee and the parts of the center -west of Florida. On Monday, an extreme risk could spread in some parts of the center of Tennessee, western Kentucky and southwest Indiana.

“Drink a lot of liquids, stay in an air -conditioned room, stay outside the sun and check the parents and the neighbors,” advises the NWS.

The temperature of the wet bulb is a measure of thermal stress which explains the combined impact of high temperatures and humidity on the human body. Humans lower their body temperature by sweating and when perspiration evaporates, it cools the surface of the skin. Moisture slows down this process, increasing the risk of heat -related disease. High temperatures in the wet bulb are the most dangerous for heat -sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, people with chronic health problems and outdoor workers or athletes.

For an even more complete measurement of thermal stress, meteorologists look at the temperature of the humid globe. WBGT takes into account the temperature of the wet embellish with the air temperature, wind speed, cloud cover and the angle of the sun to provide a measure of thermal stress in full sun.

For Saturday and Sunday, the NWS predicts the values of the WBGT afternoon in the upper 80s and the Fahrenheit bass of the 90s (low 30s C) in most of the Midwest and the Southeast. WBGT values at more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees C) can induce thermal stress in just 15 minutes when working or direct sunlight, according to the NWS.

This is not the first time that the United States has undergone oppressive humid bulb temperatures this summer. At the end of July, a heat dome prompted the NWS to issue warnings for nearly 170 million Americans while WBGT values climbed in the 80s and the 90s Fahrenheit bass (low 30s C). It will not be the last time either. Global warming increases both the intensity and duration of extreme humid bulb conditions, making WBGT an important metric to understand human survival in a changing climate.