UD's heat/stress index on TV
for Philly, Baton Rouge viewers

A sample screen of the heat/stress index in Baton Rouge

Starting June 1, television viewers in Philadelphia and Baton Rouge, La., will be getting heat/stress warnings with their weather, thanks to a database developed by UD professor Laurence Kalkstein, geography.

Weathercasters for WCAU-TV (Channel 10), in Philadelphia and WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge will use an index from 0 to 10 to indicate how potentially hazardous to health high-temperature weather conditions are expected to be.

The index is taken from a database developed by Kalkstein, which is now in use at a number of locations throughout the world. Kalkstein explained the measurement in an interview on Channel 10 on June 1 during the evening news.

The UD database compares existing temperatures, climatic and atmospheric conditions in each city to similar conditions in the past, then weighs in historical data on the number and severity of health problems and deaths recorded during those periods.

The index gives each level of comfort, discomfort or danger a number.

From 0 to 6 indicates mild conditions; 7 to 9 means there will be some discomfort; from 9 to 9.5 indcates that heat stress will be severe; and 9.6 to 10 means conditions are extreme and precautions should be taken, especially for the elderly and ill.

The index was developed at UD by Kalkstein's assistant, graduate student Jill Derby, as part of her master's thesis. Kalkstein received a grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to test the public's reaction to the index.

–Barbara Garrison