National Weather Service Findings on Heat Messaging

National Weather Service (NWS) partner feedback and research has shown that weather alerts/warnings alone do not result in protective actions being taken. Messaging and communication methods must be clear and actionable to be effective. Heat continues to be the leading weather-related killer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting from 1999 through 2020 the annual number of deaths from excessive natural heat ranged from a low of 297 in 2004 to a high of 1,153 in 2020.

Focused on messaging for heat, findings from literature reviews and after-event reviews such as NWS Service Assessments will be presented along with work being done to improve NWS products, services, and messaging. This will include NWS work within the National Integrated Heat-Health Information System (NIHHIS) and collaboration with key federal agencies such as CDC.