Heat kills by taxing the human body beyond
its abilities.In a normal year, about 175 Americans succumb to the
demands of summer heat. Among the large continental family of
natural hazards, only the cold of winter - not lightning,
hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or earthquakes - takes
a greater toll. In the 40-year period from 1936 through
1975, nearly 20,000 people were killed in the United
States by the effects of heat and solar radiation. In the disastrous
heat wave of 1980, more than 1,250 people died.
And these are the direct casualties. No one
can know how many more deaths are advanced by heat wave weather
- how many diseased or aging hearts surrender that under
better conditions would have continued functioning.
National Weather Service Mission: "The
National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather,
hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for
the United States, its territories, adjacent waters
and ocean areas, for the protection of life and
property and the enhancement of the national economy.
NWS data and products form a national information
database and infrastructure which can be used by
other governmental agencies, the private sector,
the public, and the global community."
www.weather.gov 
