Throughout the state, municipalities and counties are working to provide cooling centers. As the summer has just started, it’s not too late to ensure your residents are safe through the high temperatures coming.
According to Heat Hub NJ, part of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey is part of two National Weather Service forecast offices. Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties are covered by the NWS New York office in Upton, NY, while the rest of the state’s counties are covered by the NWS Philadelphia office in Mount Holly. These offices issue heat-related alerts to help create safer conditions for residents and guide local government actions.
Alert Levels
The following is a rundown of the weather alerts from the NWS Forecast Office.
Be Aware: The Excessive Heat Outlook is activated when there is potential for excessive heat—90 degrees or higher—in the next 3 to 7 days. This raises awareness for a longer lead time to prepare cooling center transportation and rearrange youth camp schedules to keep children protected.
Be Prepared: An Excessive Heat Watch kicks in when the next 24 to 72 hours have a 50% or greater chance of an excessive heat event. A watch is an indication to take action for health protection throughout the event to prevent heat illness or death.
Take Action: This alert consists of two parts, an advisory for up to 48 hours prior to maximum heat of 95 degrees for at least two consecutive days or 100 to 104 degrees for any length of time, or a warning withing 48-hours of an extreme heat event’s onset. Creating a responsive timeline, taking action triggers the directives that ensure the protection of individuals’ health throughout the heat event.
In Your Town
In addition to Cooling Centers, which are featured at the NJ211 directory, the CDC recommends providing strategically located free water stations to meet the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendation the those outdoors driving 9 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes.
Responding to heat-related needs of your community has value on many levels.
The Heat Hub notes that “While nearly all the impacts from climate change have behavioral consequences, research has demonstrated correlations between higher temperatures, particularly extreme heat events (i.e., heatwaves) and several mental and behavioral health outcomes, including increased suicide rates, increased hospitalization and mortality for those with diagnosed mental health conditions, increased conflict and violence, and cognitive and emotional changes.”