Heat Advisory VS Excessive Heat Warning: the difference

*Above video: How to stay safe during a heat wave*

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The difference between a Heat Advisory and Excessive Heat Warning isn’t just about temperatures. The NWS definition for health precautions is worded with more urgency for an Excessive Heat Warning.

“If you don’t take precautions immediately when conditions are extreme, you may become seriously ill or even die,” according to the NWS’s definition of an Excessive Heat Warning.

NE Ohio is currently under a Heat Advisory. The last time an Excessive Heat Warning was issued around here was June 15, 2022 and prior to that it was July 19, 2019, according to Fox 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol.

Cleveland has only had three Excessive Heat Warnings in the last 10 years, Sabol said.

A Heat Advisory is issued with a heat index of 100 degrees or more for at least two days.

An Excessive Heat warning is issued with a heat index of 105 degrees or more for at least two days.

The NWS uses strong wording for both heat-related weather alerts advising that taking precautions to avoid heat illness can be lifesaving.