Google Adds Extreme Heat Warnings and Other Climate Tools

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By gizmodo.com.

It’s no secret: the world is heating up. Inevitably, people are starting to take notice. More people are searching for information on extreme heat than ever before, according to Google—and the company is hoping to make those search results clearer.

With a new search feature, Google says it wants to help its users stay cool (and safe) during increasingly common and intense heat waves. The tech giant is adding extreme heat alerts to its search results, as announced in a Wednesday blogpost. The feature will roll out over the course of the next few months in the U.S. and parts of Europe, a company spokesperson told Gizmodo in an email.

When someone in a covered region searches for information on extreme heat via Google, the site will now provide local-information on any ongoing heat waves. Per the company’s press release, the alerts will include forecasted temperatures, when a heat wave is expected to start and end, relevant local news, and tips on how to stay healthy under the weather conditions.

The change will impact search terms like ‘excessive heat,’ ‘heat wave,’ ‘severe heat,’ and weather inquiries, a Google spokesperson told Gizmodo. If you’re searching any of those terms along with a particular place—Google will show you warnings for that area. Otherwise the search engine will rely on a user’s location settings to share relevant info.

To help make sure the suggestions it provides are accurate, Google has said it is partnering with Global Heat Health Information Network, a non-profit group focused on managing the harms of extreme heat worldwide. Weather forecast information will come via The Weather Channel and the alerts will include official updates from local and national weather service offices, the spokesperson said.

Read more at gizmodo.com.

U. S. National Weather Service/National Ocean Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
U. S. National Weather Service/National Ocean Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons